A rocky desert covering half of Israel, famous for the vast erosion crater of Makhtesh Ramon.
Area
13,000 km²
Continent
Asia
Location
Southern Israel
Temperature
Up to 40°C
Rainfall
Under 200 mm a year
Climate
Hot desert
About the Negev Desert
The Negev covers more than half of Israel in rocky hills, canyons and dry riverbeds. Its most spectacular feature is Makhtesh Ramon, a 40-kilometre-long crater formed not by impact but by millions of years of erosion. Ancient Nabataean towns and clever desert farming once thrived here.
Did you know?
Makhtesh Ramon is the largest “erosion crater” on Earth — carved by water, not a meteorite.
Highlights
- Covers over half of Israel
- Home to the giant Ramon crater
- Pioneered modern desert agriculture
Photo gallery
Life in the Negev Desert
Animals, birds and plants that have adapted to survive this landscape.
Animals
Dromedary camel
The one-humped “ship of the desert”, able to go for days without water.
Arabian oryx
A white, straight-horned antelope saved from extinction in Arabia.
Caracal
A tawny desert cat with black ear-tufts, famous for leaping at birds.
Birds
Houbara bustard
A well-camouflaged desert bird of Arabia and Central Asia.
Sandgrouse
Flies vast distances to water and soaks it up in its breast feathers.
Trees & plants
Date palm
The classic oasis tree, feeding desert peoples with sweet dates for millennia.
Acacia (thorn tree)
Flat-topped thorn trees that survive on scarce desert groundwater.
Day & night in the Negev Desert
Deserts are famous for their extreme temperature swings. Flip between day and night to feel the difference — these are typical figures for a subtropical desert.
Midday sun
+45°C
typical daytime high
Blistering daytime heat gives way to surprisingly cool nights — clear skies let the day’s warmth escape, and the temperature can tumble by 30°C or more after dark.
Recorded range for the Negev Desert: Up to 40°C