There are five different geographical zones and the climate varies from semi-arid to temperate to subtropical. The region is home to a variety of plants and animals; at least 47,000 living species have been identified, with another 4,000 assumed to exist. 116 species of mammals are native to Palestine/Israel, as well as 511 bird species, 97 reptile species, and seven amphibian species. There are also an estimated 2,780 plant species.
The
region of Palestine with the Gaza Strip, Israel, and the West Bank are located at the eastern end of the
Mediterranean Sea, traditionally called the
Levant. Israel is bounded on the north by Lebanon and on the northeast by Syria. Jordan lies to the east and southeast of the West Bank and Israel; Israel and the Gaza Strip are bordered on the southwest by the Egyptian
Sinai Peninsula and on the west by the Mediterranean Sea.
Climate
The region is divided into three major climate zones, and one microclimate zone:
The
Mediterranean climate zone, characterized by long, hot, rainless summers and relatively short, cool, rainy winters. The rainfall may go from as much as 400mm for a year (in the south around Gaza), to 1,200mm for a year (in the northernmost end of Israel). The Mediterranean landscapes include several kinds of forest,
garrigue,
scrubland,
marsh and
savanna-like-grassland. The fauna and flora are mostly of European origin.
The
Steppe climate zone. It is a narrow strip (no wider than 60 km, and mostly, much narrower) between the Mediterranean zone and the Desert zone. The rainfall varies from 400mm for year to 200mm for year. This climate zone includes mostly low-grasslands and hardy forms of
scrub. The fauna and flora are mostly of Asian and Saharan origin.
The
Desert climate zone, which is the largest climate zone of Israel and Palestine, covers the country's southern half as the
Negev, while the
Judean Desert extends to the Dead Sea region through the West Bank and into the southern
Jordan Valley. Rainfall is as low as 32mm per year in the southernmost tip of Palestine/Israel in the
Arabah valley. This dry climate zone grows scattered shrub vegetation or desert-grassland in its wetter parts. In the more arid regions, the vegetation is confined to dry riverbeds and gullies, known as
wadis and in some places it is almost absent. In some of the greater valleys, desert-scrub and
acacia-woodland are to be found. The fauna and flora are mostly of Saharan origin. Sudanese flora is present as well.
The
Tropical (Sudanese) Microclimate[clarification needed] by the springs of the Judean Desert. Refers mostly to
Ein Gedi spring and
Arugot creek. Due to the high
aquifer in the region, and the steady, hot climate of the Judean desert, a tropical savanna-related flora (not rainforest, as many think) of East-African origin has established in the area of the springs. The fauna is that of the Desert zone.
The climate is determined by the location between the subtropical aridity of the
Sahara and the
Arabian deserts, and the subtropical humidity of the
Levant or eastern Mediterranean. The climate conditions are highly variable within the area and modified locally by altitude, latitude, and the proximity to the Mediterranean sea.