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| - The Arabah is km ( mi) in length from the Gulf of Aqaba to the southern shore of the Dead Sea. Topographically, the region is divided into three sections. From the Gulf of Aqaba northward, the land gradually rises over a distance of km ( mi), and reaches a height of m ( ft) above sea level, which represents the watershed divide between the Dead Sea and Red Sea. From this crest, the land slopes gently northward over the next km ( mi) to a point km ( mi) south of the Dead Sea. In the last section, the Arabah drops steeply to the Dead Sea, which at m ( ft) below sea level, is the lowest point on earth (and historically falling).
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| abstract
| - The Arabah is km ( mi) in length from the Gulf of Aqaba to the southern shore of the Dead Sea. Topographically, the region is divided into three sections. From the Gulf of Aqaba northward, the land gradually rises over a distance of km ( mi), and reaches a height of m ( ft) above sea level, which represents the watershed divide between the Dead Sea and Red Sea. From this crest, the land slopes gently northward over the next km ( mi) to a point km ( mi) south of the Dead Sea. In the last section, the Arabah drops steeply to the Dead Sea, which at m ( ft) below sea level, is the lowest point on earth (and historically falling). The Arabah is very hot and dry and virtually without rain; consequently, it is only lightly populated. The Jordanian administrative district of Wadi Araba is reported to have a population of 6775. Five major tribes comprise eight settlements on the Jordanian side. These tribes are: Al-S'eediyeen (Arabic: السعيديين), Al-Ihewat (الإحيوات), Al-Ammareen (العمارين), Al-Rashaideh (الرشايدة), and Al-Azazmeh (العزازمة), as well as smaller tribes of the Al-Oseifat (العصيفات), Al-Rawajfeh (الرواجفة), Al-Manaja'h (المناجعة), and Al-Marzaqa (المرزقة), among others. The main economic activities for these Arabah residents revolve around herding sheep, agriculture, handicrafts, and the Jordanian Army. On the Israeli side there are a few kibbutzim. The oldest kibbutz in the Arava is Yotvata, founded in 1957, and named for an ancient town in the area mentioned once in the Bible. Kibbutz Lotan, which is one of Israel's newest kibbutzim, has a bird-watching center. In Biblical times the area was a center of copper production; King Solomon apparently had mines here. The Arabah was home to the Edomites (Edom was called "Idumea" in Roman times). East of the Arabah was the domain of the Nabateans, the builders of the city of Petra. The Israel–Jordan Peace Treaty was signed in the Arabah on October 26, 1994. The governments of Jordan and Israel are now promoting development of the region. There is a plan to bring sea water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea through a canal (Red–Dead Seas Canal), which follows along the Arabah. This (long envisioned) project was once an issue of dispute between Jordan and Israel, but it was recently agreed that the project shall be constructed on and by the Jordanian side.
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