Where is Mitzpe Ramon?

Many people draw a blank when we tell them we are moving to Mitzpe Ramon. It is a small and remote town in Israel's High Desert, so perhaps this is not surprising, unless you have visited it to explore Ramon's Crater or stopeed on your way to Eilat down Route 40. But Mitzpe Ramon is one of the easiest places to visualize: it sits right in the geographic center of the triangle of land that comprises Israel's Negev, the Desert.

"A" marks the spot:

Ramon's Crater itself occupies a remarkably large swath of the Negev with Mitzpe Ramon located at the center of the northern rim. There is only one road, Route 40, that cuts through the center of the crater, linking Eilat to the south with the rest of Israel.

Here is a larger topographic view that gives a better idea of the crater terrain and the wadis and nachlot that run through it.

Here is a topological view from an altitude of 23 miles. The airport indicated by the symbol was proposed but never built in Mitzpe Ramon; however, there are Israeli air force bases nearby.

Finally, this close-in topological street view gives some idea of the town's relationship to the crater, showing just how close the town lies to the crater rim. We live in the old section of town, hard by the crater's rim.