Hula Valley

The Hula Valley (Hebrew: עמק החולה, Modern: Emek ha-Hul, Tiberian: {{{3}}}, Arabic: بحيرة الحولة, romanized: Buḥayrat al-Ḥūla) is an agricultural region in northern Israel with abundant fresh water that used to be Lake Hula before it was drained. It is a major stopover for birds migrating along the Great Rift Valley between Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Designations
Ramsar Wetland
Official nameHula Nature Reserve
Designated12 November 1996 (1996-11-12)
Reference no.868

Lake Hula and the marshland surrounding it were a breeding ground for mosquitoes carrying malaria and thus were drained in the 1950s. A small section of the valley was later reflooded in an attempt to revive a nearly extinct ecosystem. An estimated 500 million migrating birds now pass through the Hula Valley every year.

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