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Tour of Israel: Negev
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The Negev is a desert region in southern Israel. The main cities in the region
are Beersheba, in the north, and Eilat in the south on the Gulf of Aqaba. Other
Negev towns include Yeroham (founded 1951), Dimona (1955), and Arad (1961).
The average annual rainfall in the Negev is less than 254 mm (less than 10
in). Irrigation is necessary for agriculture. In 1964, a conduit from the Sea
of Galilee began pumping water into the northwestern region of the Negev.
During the pre-Christian era the Negev was inhabited by various Semitic tribes.
In later centuries, the Negev became isolated. Modern development of the desert
began with the establishment of several kibbutzim (collective settlements) in
the mid-1940s and accelerated after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
Information from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and Microsoft's Encarta '95.
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