The Sea of Galilee is often called Lake Tiberias or Kineret in Hebrew. It is a
freshwater lake in the Galilee region in northeastern Israel. The Galilee
is a mountainess, well watered, green area. During ancient times the area contained
numerous towns and villages and was heavily populated with Syrians, Phoenicians,
Arabs, Greeks, and Jews.
In 1516, Galilee was included in the area that became
the Turkish province of Syria. After World War I, the League of Nations assigned
the mandate for Palestine, which included the Galilee, to Great Britain. In 1947
the General Assembly partitioned Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state, and
the Galilee was included in the Jewish State.
The Sea of Galilee is a pear-shaped
lake with a total area of about 166 sq km (about 64 sq mi). Its length from north
to south is 23 km (14 mi). Its maximum width, which occurs in the north, is 13
km (8 mi). And its maximum depth is 48 m (157 ft). The Jordan River flows through
the Sea of Galilee.
The
lake lies 209 m (686 ft) below the level of the Mediterranean Sea, and its bed
forms a part of the great Great Rift Valley. At one time, the lake was part of
a great inland sea extending from the Hula marshes in northern Israel to a point
some 64 km (40 mi) south of the Dead Sea.
The lake is completely encircled
by a beach. The water of Lake Tiberias is cool and clear. It contains many varieties
of fish, notably sardines and tilapia, which are caught on a commercial scale.
The grebe, gull, pelican, and other species of birds are abundant. Along the banks
of the lake, there are tortoises, turtles, and crayfish.
Lake Tiberias is
best known for its association with the lives of Jesus Christ and his disciples.
In the Bible the lake is referred to as the Sea of Chinnereth or Chinneroth, Gennesar,
Lake of Gennesaret, Sea of Galilee, and Sea of Tiberias. The area around Lake
Tiberias was well populated during ancient times. Nine cities flourished on its
shores. Tiberias, on the western shore, is the only ancient city that still exists.
Information from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and Microsoft's Encarta
'95.
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~ Lisa
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