The Jordan is 320 km long, beginning near Mount Hermon in the mountains of Syria in the north and emptying into the Dead Sea in the south. It begins at an elevation of 79 meters and drops to 391 meters below sea level. The river is part of the Great Rift Valley, which runs through the Jordan Valley to East Africa.

The Yarmouk River and Wadi al-Arab and their tributaries flow into the Jordan. Those rivers have been dammed for irrigation in the Jordan Valley, leaving less volume of water to flow into the Jordan River.

The river is really a shallow stream; its importance comes from its historical past. Near Jericho on the river’s western side is the site where Christ is said to have been baptized. This and other historic sites are not often accessible due to Israeli security measures.

Several bridges span the river. The Allenby Bridge which was built by the British in 1935, rebuilt in 1968, is the main crossing point between the West Bank and Jordan.