Jordan river

jordan river in the bible

El Jordan river it is a narrow river 320 kilometers long. It originates in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains in northern Israel, empties into the Sea of ​​Galilee at the northern foot of Mount Hermon, and ends at the Dead Sea at its southern end. It forms the border line between Jordan and Israel. The Jordan River is the largest, most sacred and most important river in the Holy Land and is mentioned many times in the Bible.

In this article we are going to tell you all the characteristics, history, geology and importance of the Jordan River.

Key features

Jordan River Threats

One of the peculiarities of the Jordan River is that it is more than 360 kilometers long, but due to its winding course, the actual distance between its source and the Dead Sea is less than 200 kilometers. After 1948, the river marked the border between Israel and Jordan, from the southern part of the Sea of ​​Galilee to where the Abis River flows from the eastern (left) bank.

However, since 1967, when Israeli troops occupied the West Bank (that is, the West Bank territory south of its confluence with the Ibis River), the Jordan River has extended south to the sea as a ceasefire line.

The Greeks called the river Aulon and sometimes the Arabs called it Al-Sharī'ah ("place of drinking water"). Christians, Jews and Muslims revere the Jordan River. It was in its waters that Jesus was baptized by Saint John the Baptist. The river has always been a religious sanctuary and a place of baptisms.

The Jordan River has three main sources, all of which originate at the foot of Mount Hermon. The longest of these is Ḥāṣbānī, near Ḥāṣbayyā in Lebanon, at 1800 feet (550m). The Banias River runs through Syria from the east. In the middle is the Dan River, whose waters are especially refreshing.

Just inside Israel, these three rivers meet in the Hula Valley. The Ḥula valley plain was originally occupied by lakes and swamps, but in the 1950s about 60 square kilometers were drained to form farmland. In the 1990s, much of the valley floor had been degraded and parts were submerged.

It was decided to keep the lake and the surrounding wetland as a protected nature reserve, and some of the flora and fauna, especially migratory birds, returned to the area. At the southern end of the valley, the Jordan River cuts a canyon through a basalt barrier. The river drops steeply towards the north shore of the Sea of ​​Galilee.

Jordan River Formation

The Jordan River lies above the Jordan Valley, a depression in the earth's crust between Israel and Jordan that formed during the Miocene when the Arabian plate moved north and then east away from present-day Africa. After about 1 million years, the land rose and the sea receded. Triassic and Mesozoic strata have been discovered in the east-central Jordan Valley.

Flora and fauna of the Jordan River

israel river

The Jordan River undoubtedly runs through the middle of one of the arid regions of the Near East. Most of the fertile land is found in the West Bank and on the east and west banks of the Jordan River. In this basin you can find from sub-humid Mediterranean regions to arid regions where the species are adapted to live.

There are also fish like Luciobarbus longiceps, Acanthobrama lissneri, Haplochromis flaviijosephi, Pseudophoxinus libani, Salaria fluviatilis, Zenarchopterus dispar, Pseudophoxinus drusensis, Garra ghorensis and Oxynoemacheilus insignis; molluscs melanopsis ammonis y melanopsis costata and crustaceans like potamon potamios and those of the genus Emerita. In the basin inhabit mammals such as rodents Mus macedonicus and the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra); insects like Calopteryx syriaca and birds like the Sinai bullfinch (Carpodacus synoicu).

As for the flora, shrubs, bushes and grasses predominate, and at points higher grow olive trees, cedars, eucalyptus, even oaks and pines, and in the last places thorny bushes grow.

Economic importance

The waters of the Jordan River are the second most important water resource in Israel. Much of the water is used to finance agriculture and ranching, and as the riverine population grows and the economy develops, pumping water is essential to meet the needs of residents. Jordan alone receives 50 million cubic meters of water from the Jordan River.

Demands for water for agriculture and domestic use are high; on the other hand, the water demands of the industrial sector are very small. This is mainly due to the increased number and scale of industries in the Gulf of Aqaba industrial zone and the Dead Sea region.

Threats

Jordan river

Once a clear and safe river, the Jordan River is now a highly polluted and highly saline body of water. In principle, the river runs through one of the most densely populated and water-scarce regions in the world, so the use of its natural resources often exceeds its regenerative capacity. It is estimated that the flow of the river has been reduced to 2% of its original flow. High evaporation, dry climates, and excessive pumping lead to salinization. In short, people care about the future of the Jordan River and the people in its basin.

To avoid serious environmental problems, some organizations and governments have come together to focus on the sustainable management of river resources. A freshwater stream in a typical arid region of the Middle East, the Jordan River is an important, unique, and precious resource for the millions of people who live near it.

It has lost almost 98% of its recorded flow if the country that uses its waters (Israel, Syria, Jordan and Palestine) will probably dry up in the next few years. Without concrete and effective measures. Israel, Syria and Jordan are responsible for the collapse of the Jordan River, the river where Jesus was baptized, which is now a sewer open to the sky through which thousands of cubic meters of wastewater flow. The waters of the Sea of ​​Galilee and the Dead Sea, 105 kilometers to the south, are being emptied at the rate of nearly 1.300 billion cubic meters per year.

The state of Israel constantly transfers water, which represents about 46,47% of the flow for domestic use and agricultural production; Syria is 25,24%, Jordan 23,24% and Palestine 5,05%. Therefore, the Jordan River is no longer a constant source of high-quality fresh water, and its flow now barely reaches 20-30 million cubic meters per year.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about the Jordan River and its characteristics.


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