Hill country of Judah
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Luke 1:39) - the hill country occupied much of eastern Judea south of Jerusalem. Its towns are listed in Joshua 15:48-60. The source supposes that its ancient population was very large, though it was far smaller in the nineteenth century. Much of the region was wild, hilly, barren, and lacking water, vegetation, and inhabitants, while other parts remained beautiful and fertile. Among its more important towns, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Hebron, and several others still existed in the source's day.