Israel
stands at the crossroads of Europe, Asia
and Africa. Geographically, it belongs to
the Asian continent. Its western border is
the Mediterranean Sea. To the north it is
bound by Lebanon and Syria, to the east by
Jordan and to the south by the Red Sea and
Egypt. Long and narrow in shape, Israel is
about 290 miles (470 km.) long and 85 miles
(135 km.) across at its widest point. Its
total area is 22,072 sq km, of which 21,643
sq km is land area (Sea of Galilee: 164 sq
km; Dead Sea: 265 sq km). Israel's total
land border measures 857 km, its Mediterranean
coastline 194 km, and 12 km on the Red Sea.
Geographical
Regions
| Arid Zones |
45% |
| Plains and
Valleys |
25% |
| Mountains |
16% |
| Rift Valley |
9% |
| Coastal Strip |
5% |
Selected elevations:
| Mt. Hermon,
Golan - highest point in Israel |
7,300
ft. |
2,224
m. |
| Mt. Meron,
Upper Galilee |
3,964
ft. |
1,208
m. |
| Mt. Ramon,
Negev |
3,396
ft. |
1,035
m. |
| Mt. of Olives,
Jerusalem |
2,739
ft. |
835
m. |
| Mt. Tabor,
Lower Galilee |
1,930
ft. |
588
m. |
| Mt. Carmel,
Haifa |
1,792
ft. |
546
m. |
| Dead Sea -
lowest point on earth |
-
1,368 ft. |
-
417 m. |
Natural resources
Raw materials for
construction of buildings and roads: gravel
and stone, sand, kurkar, clay, limestone,
gypsum, and tuff.
Raw materials for manufacturing: potash,
bromine, magnesium, salt, phosphates, sand,
clay, and limestone.
Energy sources: natural gas, oil shale.
People
| |
1980 |
1990 |
2004 |
| Population |
3,921,700 |
4,821,700 |
6,869,500 |
| Civilian
labor force |
1,318,100 |
1,649,900 |
2,678,500 |
| Jews
in Israel, as a percentage of world
Jewry |
25 |
30 |
40 |
Life
expectancy
Females
Males |
75.7
72.1 |
78.4
75.7 |
81.8
77.6 |
Infant
mortality
(per 1000 live births) |
15.6 |
9.9 |
4.9 |
| School
population |
1,200,700 |
1,451,300 |
2,080,900 |
| Percentage
of the population (15+) with 13 years
or more of formal schooling |
19.2 |
25.3 |
40.3 |
Population
by Religion
| Jews |
76.4% |
| Muslims |
16.0% |
| Christians |
2.1% |
| Druze |
1.6% |
| Not
classified by religion |
3.8% |
|
|
Population
Distribution
| Urban
localities |
91.5% |
| Rural
localities |
8.5% |
Of
which:
Moshavim
Kibbutzim |
3.4%
1.7% |
|
Largest cities by population
| Jerusalem |
706,400 |
| Tel Aviv-Yafo |
371,400 |
| Haifa |
268,300 |
| Rishon Lezion |
217,400 |
| Ashdod |
196,900 |
Immigrants
by Continent
1948-2004
| Europe |
1,790,252 |
| Africa |
489,872 |
| Asia |
425,314 |
| America & Oceania |
234,826 |
| Unknown |
31,653 |
|
|
Immigrants
by Year of Immigration
| 1948-1951 |
688,000 |
| 1952-1959 |
272,000 |
| 1960-1969 |
374,000 |
| 1970-1979 |
346,000 |
| 1980-1989 |
154,000 |
| 1990-2001 |
1,060,091 |
| 2002-2004 |
77,733 |
|
Economy
Proposed State
Budget, 2005: NIS 284.2 billion
| |
1980 |
1990 |
2004 |
| Gross
Domestic Product (US$ billions) |
23.2 |
59.2 |
117.6 |
| Net
exports of goods (US$ billions) |
5,291.9 |
11,603.1 |
33,812.6 |
thereof:
Industrial products (excl.
diamonds)
Agricultural products |
3,340.4
555.7 |
7,696.8
657.2 |
23,730.6
908.3 |
| Net
imports of goods (US$ billions) |
7,845.7 |
15,107.1 |
40,356.1 |
| Tourists
arriving |
1,065,800 |
1,131,700 |
1,505,500 |
| Air
passengers |
2,847,000 |
3,720,000 |
7,524,000 |
| Freight
shipped by air (in tons) |
105,800 |
194,160 |
332,850 |
| Production
of electricity (millions of kilwatt/hours) |
12,400 |
20,900 |
46,989 |
| Private
cars |
410,000 |
803,000 |
1,567,000 |
Education
University
Students by Field of Study
(Total 124,416 students in 7 universities) |
| Humanities |
25.5% |
| Social Sciences |
22.8% |
| Science and
mathematics |
16.9% |
| Engineering |
13.8% |
| Medicine |
8.9% |
| Law |
4.0% |
| Business & Administration |
6.9% |
| Agriculture |
1.3% |
* Figures based on the Statistical
Abstract of Israel, No. 56, 2005
|
