West Bank is a territory of Palestine
As its name implies, the West Bank is a territory situated on the western bank of the Jordan River. Many countries recognize it as being part of the so-called State of Palestine, but Palestine’s borders are yet to be determined, pending a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For both Israelis and Palestinians, the West Bank forms the heart of the Biblical Holy Land. It contains several important religious sites that are holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The West Bank is also home to most of the Palestinian population, and the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The West Bank has a total land area of 6,220 sq. km. This includes part of the holy city of Jerusalem, known as East Jerusalem. It is bordered by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the east, and by Israel in all other directions. The name "West Bank" was a term first used by the Jordanians when they annexed the territory in 1949, following the first Arab-Israeli war. Many Israelis refer to it as Judea (Hebrew: Yehuda) and Samaria (Hebrew; Shomron), denoting the fact that it was the territory in which the Biblical kingdoms of Judah and Israel (also called Shomron) were situated. Much of the West Bank’s territory consists of north-south oriented limestone hills. These hills are divided between the Samarian Hills north of Jerusalem, and the Judean Hills in the south. The hills slope down into the Jordan Valley and the area adjacent to the Dead Sea, which is the lowest place on Earth.