Palestine has historically been called the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the banks of the Jordan River since ancient Roman times.<br> &lt; br&gt;Palestine in even older times was called a more restricted area along the border of the Mediterranean Sea. In its broader geographical meaning Palestine can refer to an area that includes Israeli and Palestinian areas, parts of Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Palestine could also be brought into an area that was at the beginning of the twentieth century under British sovereignty after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I. Palestine may also be called the state of Palestine declared by the Palestinian Authority (the Palestinian Authority) and recognized by more than a hundred countries. <br><br>In ancient Egyptian texts, the entire coastal region of the Near East along the Mediterranean coast between New Egypt and Turkey is called ratnio (R-t-n-u). It was divided into three districts. The southern region of ratnio (Djahy) included New Israel and Palestinian territory, the central region included Lebanon, and the northern region (Amurru) included the Syrian coast as far north as the orentes River near Turkey.<br><br>in the Iron Age, the kingdom of Israel ruled over an area including Jerusalem to an area near New Israel and Palestinian territory, and in the West and North it encompassed the bulk and not all of Israel's territory. After this government was divided, the southern part became the Jewish Kingdom and the northern part became the kingdom of Israel.