The Shephelah (the Hebrew name) is a region of low hills, or foothills lying between the Costal Plain and the true hill or mountain region. While drained and farmed it was not quite as attractive to ancient peoples as Costal Plain because of its hilly nature. The region only exists in the southern part of the country. It does not appear in the area of Samaria but only in the region of Judea (Judah).

The Great Rift Valley is a deep depression in the earth�s surface. This accounts for the fact that the area around the Dead Sea is the lowest sport on earth above water. The rift is a crack in the earth�s surface extending from Mt. Hermon, along the Jordan River, toward the red Sea. The region includes the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The rift extends under the red Sea all the way into East Africa and terminates in Mozambique. This is an enormous fracture in the earth�s crust which explains why the lowest point on the surface of the earth not under water lies near the Dead Sea. Since the Jordan River flows through part of the Great Rift Valley a portion of the valley is known as the Jordan Valley. This extends from the headwaters of the Jordan to the northern end of the Dead Sea.

The Negev, or Negeb, for in Hebrew the letter can be v or b, comes from the Hebrew word which means dry. The Negev, lying in the far south, is dry indeed for it is desert -- a barren wilderness.