The region has an extremely diverse terrain that falls generally into four parallel zones.

From west to east they are the coastal plain ; the hills and mountains of Galilee, Samaria, and Judea; the valley of the Jordan river.; and the east plateau.

In the extreme south lies the Negev , a rugged desert area .
Elevations range from 395 mile (1296 ft) below sea level on the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the surface of the earth, to 1020 mile (3347 ft) atop nearby Mt. Hebron .

The region has several fertile areas , which constitute its principal natural resource . The water supply of the region, however , is not abundant , with virtually all of the modest annual rainfall coming in the winter months .
The Jordan River, the region's only major stream, flows south through Lake Tiberias (the regions only large freshwater lake) to the intensely saline Dead Sea.