Jordan Valley

The Jordan Valley is a long, narrow place.

It sits between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The valley is very low. It is even lower than the sea!

High, steep hills rise up on both sides. It is a warm place with good soil. This helps many plants grow. Because it is warm, it is a great place for farms. Many birds fly through the sky here every year.

It is a very busy place for nature.

The Jordan Valley is a long and narrow place.

It sits between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The valley is the lowest place on Earth. It starts below sea level and goes even lower.

High, steep hills rise up on both sides. Most of the valley forms a border. It sits between Jordan to the east. To the west are Israel and the West Bank.

The weather here is warmer than nearby areas. The soil is rich and good for farms. This makes the valley a key place for growing food. Many people live and work on these farms. The valley is also a busy path for nature. Every year, millions of birds fly through the sky. They use the valley to travel between continents.

Some birds stay here for the winter. Others pass through on their way to new homes. This makes the valley a very important place for many living things.

The Jordan Valley is a very special part of the Earth.

It is a long, narrow trough that sits in a large rift valley. Most people use the name for the lower part of the Jordan River. This part begins where the river leaves the Sea of Galilee in the north.

The river then flows all the way down to the Dead Sea in the south. This valley is famous because it is the lowest place in the whole world. It starts below sea level and ends even lower than that.

On both sides, high and steep cliffs rise up from the valley floor.

Nature uses this valley as a busy highway for traveling. In the past, it was a path for early humans moving between Africa and Eurasia. Today, it is a vital route for millions of birds.

About 500 million birds fly through this region every year. They belong to about 200 different species. These birds use the valley to travel between Asia, Europe, and Africa. Some birds fly here in the spring to find breeding places. Others fly back to warmer homes in the autumn. The valley is a very important stop for them.

History has shaped how the valley is divided today. For a long time, the Ottoman Empire controlled this land.

After World War I, the area was split by different agreements. In 1921, the land east of the river became the Emirate of Transjordan. The land to the west became part of Mandatory Palestine.

This split created the idea of an "east bank" and a "west bank." The Jordan River became the border between these two different areas. This division still affects the region very much today.

Many different people live and work in the valley. The weather is much warmer here than in the hills nearby. This warmth and the rich soil make it a great place for farming. In the Jordanian part, many people run small family farms. On the western side, many people live in cities like Jericho. In 2009, about 58,000 Palestinians lived in the West Bank part of the valley. Many people also live in Israeli communities within the valley. The different groups of people live in a landscape shaped by both nature and politics.

Today, the valley remains a key place for both food and peace. The Israel-Jordan peace treaty of 1994 helps manage the borders.

The valley connects many different lands and cultures together. It serves as a bridge for animals, birds, and humans. Whether looking at the deep river or the high cliffs, the valley is full of life. It is a place where the physical world and human history meet. You can see this connection in the farms, the birds, and the many borders.

The Jordan Valley is a significant geological and geopolitical feature of the Levant.

It forms a major part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. In a narrow sense, the term refers to the lower course of the Jordan River. This specific section begins where the river exits the Sea of Galilee in the north. It continues southward until the river reaches its end at the Dead Sea.

In a broader sense, the valley can include the Dead Sea basin and the Arabah valley. The Arabah is a rift valley segment that continues south of the Dead Sea toward Aqaba and Eilat.

Geologically, the Jordan Valley is a long and narrow trough. The width varies across the landscape, but it often narrows significantly. As the river approaches the Dead Sea, the valley widens into a delta. This area is unique because it is the lowest elevation on Earth. The valley begins below sea level (BSL) and terminates at a point even lower than BSL. On both the eastern and western sides, the valley is defined by high, steep escarpments. These cliffs rise from the valley floor by heights ranging from 250 to 1,100 meters.

The valley serves as a vital biological corridor for various species.

During the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods, the Levantine corridor facilitated human migration. Genetic studies suggest this route was more important for bi-directional human movement between Africa and Eurasia than the Horn of Africa. Today, the valley is an essential part of a global bird migration route. It forms the Eastern Route, alongside the Western and Southern-Eilat Mountain routes. An estimated 500 million birds from 200 species fly across the region twice each year. They move between Asia, Europe, and Africa during the spring and autumn seasons.

The geography of the valley also dictates its climate and agriculture. The area is known as the Ghor, which refers to the segment south of the Sea of Galilee. This region is several degrees warmer than the surrounding areas. The combination of fertile soils, a reliable water supply, and a year-round agricultural climate makes it a key farming zone. In the Jordanian part of the valley, 80% of the farms are family-owned. These farms are typically small, usually no larger than 30 dunams, which is about 3 hectares or 7.4 acres.

Political history has deeply divided the valley into different administrative zones. From 1486 until 1918, the Ottoman Empire controlled the region.

Following World War I, the Sykes–Picot Agreement placed the valley within the British sphere of control. In 1921, the area east of the river became the Emirate of Transjordan. The area west of the river was designated as Mandatory Palestine in 1922.

This division established the concept of the "east bank" and "west bank." The Jordan River became the formal border between these two distinct political entities.

Demographic shifts have occurred due to various conflicts in the 20th century. Before the 1967 Six-Day War, about 60,000 Jordanians lived on the eastern side of the valley. Following the 1967 war and the 1970–71 "Black September" conflict, this population dropped to 5,000. However, government investment helped the Jordanian population rebound to over 85,000 by 1979. In the West Bank portion of the valley, Palestinian populations have also shifted. In 2009, approximately 58,000 Palestinians lived in this area. Many of these residents are concentrated in or near the city of Jericho.

Modern borders and settlements continue to define the valley's landscape. Much of the valley forms the border between Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. The 1994 Israel–Jordan peace treaty regulates these boundaries.

In the West Bank portion, Israel has allocated 86% of the land to Israeli settlements. As of 2014, the Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council contained 21 settlements with 4,200 residents. Meanwhile, about 10,000 Palestinians live in Area C, which is administered by the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. This includes roughly 2,700 people living in small Bedouin and herding communities.