巴勒斯坦(Palestine)
《圣经》称迦南（Canaan）
位於地中海东端。范围东迄约旦河，北起以色列、黎巴嫩两国的交界，西抵地中海，南至内盖夫沙漠，延伸至亚喀巴湾。三千年以来此区所指的政治地位和地理区变动颇大，东部疆界尤其易变，通常涵盖约旦东部地区，有时延伸到阿拉伯沙漠边缘。地形相差也十分悬殊，包括死海和海拔超过610公尺的山峰。20世纪这里是犹太人和阿拉伯人民族运动冲突的焦点。此区是犹太教、基督教和伊斯兰教的圣地所在。早在史前时期就有人定居於此，主要是闪米特人，在《圣经》记载的时代，受以色列、犹大和犹太王国统治。後来相继为中东各种强权所争夺，包括亚述、波斯、罗马、拜占庭、十字军和鄂图曼土耳其人。第一次世界大战末期成为联合国托管地，交由英国治理，一直到1948年宣布成立以色列国为止。後来遭埃及、外约旦、叙利亚和伊拉克的军队攻击，但全都被以色列军队打败。有关此区後来的历史请参见以色列和约旦。
English version：
Palestine
Region, at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It extends east to the Jordan River, north to the border between Israel and Lebanon, west to the Mediterranean, and south to the Negev desert, reaching the Gulf of Aqaba. The political status and geographical area designated by the term have changed considerably over the course of some three millennia. The eastern boundary has been particularly fluid, often understood as lying east of the Jordan and extending at times to the edge of the Arabian Desert. A land of sharp contrasts, it includes the Dead Sea and mountains peaks more than 2,000 ft (610 m) above sea level. In the 20th century it has been the object of conflicting claims by Jewish and Arab national movements. The region is sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Settled since early prehistoric times, mainly by Semitic groups, it was occupied in biblical times by the kingdoms of Israel, Judah, and Judaea. It was subsequently held by virtually every power of the Middle East, including the Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, and Ottoman Turks. It was governed by Britain under a U.N. mandate from the end of World War I until 1948, when the state of Israel was proclaimed. Armies from Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, and Iraq attacked the next day. They were defeated by the Israeli army. See Israel and Jordan for the later history of the region.