The Southern District (, ''Meḥoz HaDarom''; ) is one of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

's six administrative districts, the largest in terms of land area but the most sparsely populated. It covers most of the Negev desert, as well as the Arava valley. The population of the Southern District is 1,086,240 and its area is 14,185 km². Its population is 79.66% Jewish and 12.72% Arab (mostly Muslim), with 7.62% of other origins. Geographycal distribution of the main ethno-cultural communities Southern district

Geographycal distribution of the main ethno-cultural communities Southern district

The district capital is Beersheba, while the largest city is Ashdod. Beersheba's dormitory towns of Omer, Meitar, and Lehavim are affluent on an Israel scale, while the development towns of Dimona, Sderot, Netivot, Ofakim, and

Yeruham Yeruham () is a local council (Israel), town in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel, in the Negev desert. It covers , and had a population of in . It is named after the Hebrew Bible, Biblical Jeroham. Until early 2011 th ...

and the seven

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

cities are lower on the socio-economic scale.Current Plans for Developing the Negev: A Critical Perspective
Adva Center

Administrative local authorities

Some villages do not fall under the jurisdiction of a regional council. These include: * Mahane Yatir * Umm al-Hiran (unrecognised Bedouin village)

References

{{Israel-geo-stub

Administrative local authorities

See also

References