For some 6000 years there has been human activity around the Yotvata Salt Flat. Among the central sites are:
1. Settlement and agriculture at the Yotvata oasis- From the dawn of history the water source at Ein Radian has been a source of attraction and resting place for settlement and human activity. In the oasis around the spring are remnants of a settlement and burial site from the fifth century b.c.e. Unmistakable vestiges of agricultural activity (irrigation ditches, wells and underground aqueducts) can be found from the Nabatean period (first century b.c.e.) and onwards.
2. Copper mining and production in the Timna Valley- In the exposed white sandstone in the Timna Valley can be found concentrations of copper. Beginning in the Chalcolithic era (approximately 6000 years ago) and especially in the Late Bronze Age, copper was mined primarily in underground tunnels. The copper was separated from the stone in smelting sites, in ovens with temperatures above 1083 degrees, and made into ingots. Most of it was transported to Egypt where it was melted down and made into weapons and tools. Copper smelting sites were also found near Yotvata. Acacia trees in the area between Yotvata and Samar, on the edge of the Salt Flat, apparently provided the raw material to make charcoal for heating the ovens. Additional information on the activity in Timna, past and present, can be found in the website: www.travel.to/Timna. The site was developed by Ma'ayan Vasconselos, a ninth-grade student from Ma'ale Shaharut School.
3. Hunting "Kites" adjacent to Kibbutz Samar- ancient structures for hunting gazelles. The name comes from the aerial view of these structures, most of which are located on the Jordanian side of the border. The kites situated near Kibbutz Samar were intended to rap gazelles from the acacia grove south of Yotvata, on the western edge of the Salt Flat. The kites were probably used during the fourth and the beginning of the third centuries b.c.e.
4. The "Israelite Fortress" at Yotvata- a defense site located on a hill overlooking the Yotvata oasis in the direction of the western border of the Salt Flat. Tools and other artifacts relating to copper mining and production in Timna have been found here. The site dates from the period of Egyptian activity in Timna, primarily from 3300 years ago.
5. The Roman Bath- a bath house from the Roman period that served the men of the tenth legion that held the adjacent Roman fortress.
6. The Roman Fortress- In the fortress is an impressive rock engraving from the time of the emperor Dioclateanus, from the end of the third century c.e.
7. Tunnel wells ("fugarot")- a system for drawing water from the aquifer, marvelously adapted to the hydrologic conditions of the area: water flowing down the alluvial fans in the direction of the Yotvata Salt Flat is absorbed several meters into the ground. A horizontal tunnel at a depth of several meters drains groundwater before it reaches the Salt Flat and becomes salty. This water is directed to the farm that existed at the Yotvata oasis. On the surface one can see the wells, one meter in diameter.

Today there are over 2000 people living in the region of the Yotvata Salt Flat, in five settlements. In the western region are the kibbutzim Grofit, Yotvata and Samar which are part of the Hevel Eilot Regional Council. In the eastern part are the villages Rahme and Al Qatar which are part of the permanent settlements of the Bedouins who live on the Jordanian side of the Arava valley.
1. Kibbutz Grofit- settled in 1966, located on a hill adjacent to the international border. Approximately 150 adult members and 100 children live on the kibbutz, whose communal character embraces the areas of education, healthcare and mutual welfare. The kibbutz economy is based in agriculture (date grove, dairy, melons, onions and watermelons), an industrial factory ("Pasgor"- manufacturing reusable and zip-lock plastic bags) and tourism ("Ye'elim" holiday village, including a swimming pool and restaurant).
2. Kibbutz Yotvata- the first kibbutz established in the southern Arava, in 1957. Yotvata boasts some 280 members and a total of approximately 700 people. Originally founded to secure the road to Eilat and explore the possibility of establishing permanent settlements in the harsh desert climate, for 43 years the kibbutz members have struggled and proved that settlements can flourish in these conditions, including less-than-optimal water. Yotvata's largest income producing branch is their dairy plant. Yotvata Dairy processes milk from all the kibbutzim in the region, producing a variety of products including puddings, chocolate milk, sour cream and, of course, milk. The kibbutz also has a large date grove, mangoes, field crops and a large restaurant by the Arava highway.
3. Kibbutz Samar- founded in 1976 by young kibbutznikim and army Nahal ("pioneering and fighting youth") units, with the purpose of building of kibbutz with a decidedly different lifestyle. Samar offers maximum personal freedom and mutual trust among the members. One example of this is individual consumer freedom without limitation or inspection of the kibbutz system. With 80 members and 100 children, the kibbutz is based on agriculture, especially the date grove, most of which is organic. Samar also has a dairy, a center for desert studies and tours, a computer company and a health food store in Eilat.
4. Rahme- a Jordanian village of 850 inhabitants, located northeast of the Salt Flat. The village was settled in 1957, primarily by Bedouins who lived as nomads in the area. Until recently their livelihood was made from goat herding on the edges of the Salt Flat. In 1998 a farm was begun near the village where they grow tomatoes, pomello, eggplant, corn and other crops. Assisting in the farm's development are a Jordanian company and Israeli advisors from Yotvata, from the Southern Arava Research and Development Institute.
5. Al Qatar- a Jordanian village settled in 1984 very close to the eastern side of the Salt Flat. Most of 200 villagers earn a living from goat herding, while some work in Aqaba. High salinity in the water has impeded progress in agricultural development, a not unfamiliar dilemma faced by the other settlements of the region.

Other sites in the region include:
1. Yotvata Hai-Bar (nature reserve)- situated between Samar and Yotvata, the reserve was established to protect species of wildlife which have lived in the desert since biblical times and are in danger of extinction. These include the gazelle, oryx, ostrich, wild ox, onager, roebuck, wild ass, antelope and others. Most of the animals are found in the "safari", some 12 square kilometers on the western side of the Salt Flat. The animals are raised under natural conditions in the reserve with the goal of returning them to the wild. A few dozen wild asses are now living across the Negev as independent individuals. In the southern part of the reserve is a predators' center with additional animals from the region: leopards, foxes, sand foxes, caracals, hyenas, a variety of desert reptiles, rodents and birds of prey. There is also a "dark room" in which one can view the nighttime activities of some of these animals.
2. Hevel Eilot Regional Council and Ardom Regional Enterprises- the regional center is located northwest of the Salt Flat. Hevel Eilot is the southernmost municipality in Israel, covering 2.2 million dunams (550,000 acres). Ten kibbutzim and one non-communal settlement populate the region. The regional council works to support the kibbutzim in demographic growth and financial aid. Departments within the council include a community center, transportation, education, a finance company and more. Ardom Enterprises include marketing of the settlements' produce and other services such as a date packing plant, a central computer unit, quality control, transport, water board and more.
3. Arava Research and Development- northwest of the Salt Flat the R&D farm grows field crops (mainly winter harvest vegetables), flowers, fruit groves and more. These crops are selected for research whose function is to find suitable crops and cultivation methods, especially irrigation, for the unique conditions of the region. The information gleaned from this research benefits the farmers in the region as well as in other desert climes in Israel and around the world. Over the last four years advisors from the R&D have been working with neighboring farmers in Jordan. As a result there has been a significant breakthrough in both the types and quantity of crops in the village of Rahme.
4. "Ma'ale Shaharut" Regional Cooperative School- located on a hill overlooking Kibbutz Yotvata, with well-tended buildings in a quiet and pleasant atmosphere. Some 650 students from grades 1-12 (ages 6-18) learn in relatively small and heterogeneous classes, a factor which enables the individual students to progress at their own pace. The school focuses on acquisition of learning skills and independent and critical thought on the part of the student. Study tracks offered include Environmental Studies (Agricultural and Life Sciences, Earth Science and Geography), Fine Arts (Theater, Art, Music), Humanities (Literature, Arabic) and Technology (Electronics and Physics). The school also educates towards personal responsibility and community involvement and therefore students from grades 8-11 work one day a week in their kibbutz.
5. Rahme Village School- in Jordan, some 250 children from the village and surrounding area study in separate boys' and girls' schools, grades 1-12, located on opposite sides of the village. The curriculum is the government approved one and includes science, humanities, foreign languages and more. The boys' school has a dining room and an experimental greenhouse, while the girls' school includes a home economics class and a well-equipped laboratory.