The Hula Hoop Valley of Israel

"At an elevation of ≈70 meters above sea level and covering an area of 177 square kilometers (25 km by 6–8 km), Emek Ha'Hula or Meron, is the ancient route linking Egypt, the Eastern Mediterranean coast, and Damascus, Syria to Israel. The Hula Valley is located North, along the Rift Valley between Africa, Europe, and Asia. West and East of the valley are steep slopes: the Upper Galilee's Naftali mountains in the West of Israel rise from 400 to 900 meters above sea level, while the Refuge City of the Golan Heights is situated toward the East, occasionally experiencing strong North-Easterly wind storms. More than 1,500 millimeters of precipitation descends on Har Hermon, only a few kilometers North of the valley, mostly in the form of snow, refreshing underground springs, including the source of the Jordan River, which flows through the valley. The region is historically the natural habitation reserved for 'otters, wild boars, foxes, jackals, hyenas, panthers, leopards, gazelles, bears, wolves, catfish, tilapia, and asian carps.' Agamon Ha'Hula covers a terrain of one square kilometer interspersed with islands that serve as protected nesting sites for migratory birds, as well as birdwatchers. 500 million are estimated to pass through Hula annually. After years of being classified as extinct, the Israel-Painted Frog was suddenly revived, introducing itself to park patrollers, whose sighting was confirmed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority."