Palestine

Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a de jure sovereign state located in Western Asia. It is officially governed by the Palestine Liberation Organization and claims the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Palestine, the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity, has a tumultuous history as a crossroads for religion, culture, commerce, and politics. In the Bronze Age, the region was inhabited by the Canaanites, and during the Iron Age, two related Israelite kingdoms, Israel and Judah, emerged there.

The name Palestine has long been in popular use as a general term to denote a traditional region, but this usage does not imply precise boundaries. The perception of what constitutes Palestine’s eastern boundary has been especially fluid, although the boundary frequently has been perceived as lying east of the Jordan River, extending at times to the edge of the Arabian Desert. The social geography of modern Palestine, especially the area west of the Jordan River, has been greatly affected by the dramatic political changes and wars that have brought this small region to the attention of the world.