Menashe Heights

Menashe Heights (Hebrew: רָמוֹת מְנַשֶּׁה, Ramot Menashe, lit. Menashe Heights), called Balad ar-Ruha in Arabic, meaning "Land of Winds",[1] is a geographical region in northern Israel, located on the Carmel Range, between Mount Carmel and Mount Amir/Umm al-Fahm.

Reservoir in Ramot Menashe

Geography

Ramot Menashe woodlands

While Ramat Menashe is part of the mountain range, it is just 200 m above sea level on average, and peaks at 400 m. The plateau is bordered by the Jezreel Valley to the northeast, the Yokne'am Stream to the northwest, Wadi Ara to the southeast, and the Nadiv Valley to the southwest.[1]

Menashe Heights, known in Hebrew as Ramot Menashe, was officially added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 2011. The region was credited with encompassing "a mosaic of ecological systems that represent the Mediterranean Basin's version of the global evergreen sclerophyllous forests, woodlands and scrub ecosystem types."[2]

Localities

Localities in Ramot Menashe include[1]

See also

References

  1. Zev Vilnay (1980). "Ramat Menashe". Ariel Encyclopedia (in Hebrew). 8. Israel: Am Oved. p. 7585.
  2. Rinat, Zafrir (4 July 2011). "UNESCO recognizes Ramot Menashe area as 'Biosphere Reserve'". Haaretz. Retrieved 5 July 2011. Efforts to preserve nature and open spaces in Israel enjoyed yesterday international recognition, with UNESCO affording the area of Ramot Menashe the title of "Biosphere Reserve," adding it to the organization's Man and the Biosphere program.


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