subject: What Is Palestine [print this page] Palestine is located on the East Coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is west of Jordan and south of Lebanon. Its territory is about 10,435 square miles, which is approximately the size of our state of Vermont. It is more mountainous than Massachusetts with some towns situated high up. The hills just north of Palestine are littered with snow.
In the north, you'll find the Sea of Galilee or Tiberias. Toward the south is the Dead Sea. The water of the Dead Sea is very salty and bitter to the taste, and neither fish nor any other animal can live there. It used to be supposed, in old times, that birds, which trying to fly over it, fell into the water dying immediately. It is denser and more buoyant than any water you've ever seen, so that if you were to bathe in it, you couldn't sink if you tried. And if you tried to sail on it, your boat would ride an inch or two higher out of water than on other lakes. The Dead Sea doesn't seem to have any outlet, so that all the water running into it from the Jordan river must evaporate instead of running off.
The Jordan is the only long river. It rises north of the Sea of Galilee, 1,700 feet above the sea, and when it reaches the Dead Sea it is 1,300 feet below the sea, so that it seems to be rushing most of the way down a very steep hill. Some travelers describe it as a continuous waterfall. In some places it is extremely deep, in others, at some seasons of the year, you are able to walk across it.
The latitude of Palestine is about 31 degrees to 33 degrees, very nearly the same as the south part of Georgia. From Oct. to March it is rainy, from April to Sept., it is extremely hot. Crops are harvested in April and May. The hot summer sun withers the flowers and grass quickly, and leaves the country bare. Barley and wheat are the chief grains; and beside these are grapes in sumputous clusters, pomegranates, figs, cedar and olive trees, and bright-colored oleanders, anemones, tulips, and poppies. In the Northern parts, the last is more fertile than the southern. Jerusalem, which stands on high land in the south, is the most important city. Bethlehem is five miles away from Jerusalem. Nazareth is located in a beautiful valley among the hills, not far from the Sea of Galilee.
Study Questions
1.Where in the world is Palestine?
2.What is its size, relative to one of our states?
3.Are there mountains in it?
4.What lakes are there?
5.Why is one called the Dead Sea?
6.What is the largest river?
7.Is Palestine farther north or south than this place?
8.What kind of weather does it have, and what are the seasons?
