Large deposits of phosphates are intensively exploited and processed there, and bromide extracted from the Dead Sea is processed in the Negev. The following are also extracted: potassium carbonate, bromine, magnesium, clay, gypsum and marble, natural gas, and quartz sand.
In the desert, several large heavy industries employ thousands of workers. Tourism also plays an important role in the economic use of the Negev. Tourists are attracted by the mountains of the central Negev and the resorts of Eilat.
