ISRAEL AND PALESTINE: THE NEGEV

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Palestine is small when compared with most other countries, 150 miles from north to south, and 70 miles from west to east at its widest point.
Despite its size it was always important because it lay in a strategic part of the world, straddling the major highway that joined ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt - these highways were called the Via Maris or Way of the Sea, and the King's Highway. There was a constant stream of travelers along the roads - for trade, religious pilgrimage, military purposes, etc. So when something significant happened in that part of the world, the people of Palestine were affected. 
There were four major regions: the Coastal Plain, the Central Hill Country, the Jordan Valley, and the Negev.

The Nebev
The Negev (Negeb) is a barren area south of Palestine which merges into the Sinai desert (see satellite image at bottom of page).

  
SATELLITE IMAGE OF EGYPT AND THE NEGEV

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Israel and Palestine: Lands of the Bible - Bible Study Resource
The Nebeg Nebeb; Mount Sinai