The homeland of the Philistines, the Sea Peoples who settled the coast, controlled iron, and were Israel's bitterest rivals in the era of the Judges and early kings.
The southern coastal plain
Gaza Strip / southern Israel
The Philistines were an advanced, warlike, urban people who held the coastal plain and the crucial iron technology. They are the recurring 'bad guys' of 1-2 Samuel, from the capture of the ark to Goliath. Their five cities (Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, Ekron) were a real political league.
Philistia runs along the southern coast, about 40 miles long. It borders Judah's hill country directly, the two peoples were near neighbors and constant enemies.