Mountains shape the Holy Land that lies along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Two parallel ranges run from north to south and in between is the country's most extraordinary physical feature, the deep trench that holds the River Jordan, the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, all part of what is still commonly called The Great Rift Valley.

This wide variety of landscapes, from snow-topped mountains to fertile plains to deserts, means that the natural vegetation of the land is very different from one area to another; each supporting a range of different plants and animals.

With chapters on physical geography and natural vegetation, trees and shrubs, herbs and flowers, mammal, birds, and other creatures, in this new book,

Peter Goodfellow explores the natural history of the Bible tying in his descriptions to biblical references and, where relevant, explaining how these factors influenced the lives of the people of the Old and New Testaments.