Jericho ( /ˈdʒɛrɪkoʊ/; Arabic: أريحا ʾArīḥā [ʔaˈriːħa] ; Hebrew: יְרִיחוֹ Yeriḥo [jeʁiˈχo] ) is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and had a population of 18,346 in 2007. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route 16 kilometres (10 mi) north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently inhabited site on earth. It is also believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.