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Israel Briefing Book
Fact Sheets: Israel at 63 - A Statistical Glimpse
Geography
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) acorss 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.
The only river in Israel: The Jordan River, approximately 250 km. Main streams: Alexander, Besor, Hadera, Yarqon, Sa'ar, Qishon, and Soreq.
Geographical Regions
| Arid zones |
45% |
| Plains and valleys |
25% |
| Mountains |
16% |
| Rift valley |
9% |
| Coastal strip |
5% |
|
Selected elevations:
| Mt. Hermon (Golan) |
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.
Climate
Israel is on a "climatic crossroad", which is a transitional area between a temperate and arid climate.
The southern and eastern areas of Israel are characterized by an arid climate, while the other areas are characterized by a Mediterranean climate. Due to this climatic formation, there is high variability in the amount of precipitation from year to year, and in the different areas of the country.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Israel was 54°C (June 21, 1942); The lowest temperature ever recorded was -13.7°C (February 7, 1950)
People
| |
1980 |
1990 |
2011 |
| Population |
3,921,700 |
4,821,700 |
7,836,000 |
| Civilian labor force |
1,318,100 |
1,649,900 |
3,150,500 |
| Jews in Israel (% of world Jews) |
25 |
30 |
~ 45% |
Life expectancy:
- Females
- Males |
75.7
72.1 |
78.4
75.7 |
83.7
80.4 |
| Infant mortality (1000 live births) |
15.6 |
9.9 |
3.6 |
| School population |
1,200,700 |
1,451,300 |
1,500,000 |
| % of population with 13 years or more of formal schooling |
19.2 |
25.3 |
46.0 |
Population by Religion
| Jews |
75.3% |
| Muslims |
20.5% |
| Christians |
2.0% |
| Druze |
1.7% |
| Not classified by religion |
0.5% |
|
Population Distribution
| Urban localities |
91.7% |
| Rural localities |
8.3% |
Of which:
Moshavim
Kibbutzim |
3.6%
1.7% |
|
Largest cities by population
| Jerusalem |
773,800 |
| Tel Aviv-Yafo |
395,000 |
| Haifa |
265,600 |
| Rishon Lezion |
229,000 |
| Ashdod |
211,300 |
|
Immigration
Immigrants by Continent
1948-2010
| Europe |
1,845,051 |
| Africa |
505,624 |
| Asia |
435,007 |
| America & Oceania |
258,042 |
| Unknown |
31,590 |
|
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 |
| 1990-1999 |
956,400 |
| 2000-2011 |
302,493 |
|
Economy
| |
1980 |
1990 |
2009 |
| Gross Domestic Product (NIS millions) |
116 |
111,804 |
768,339 |
| Net exports of goods (US$ billions) |
5,291.9 |
11,603.1 |
42,065.4 |
thereof:
Industrial products (excl. diamonds)
Agricultural products |
3,340.4
555.7 |
7,696.8
657.2 |
34,838.7
1,229.9 |
| Net imports of goods (US$ billions) |
7,845.7 |
15,107.1 |
46,928.4 |
| Tourists arriving |
1,065,800 |
1,131,700 |
2,321,400 |
| Air passengers |
2,847,000 |
3,720,000 |
10,574,000 |
| Freight shipped by air (in tons) |
105,800 |
194,160 |
264,563 |
| Production of electricity (millions of kilwatt/hours) |
12,400 |
20,900 |
53,179 |
| Private cars |
410,000 |
803,000 |
1,946,749 |
Education
First Year University Students by Field of Study
(Total 55,045 students) |
| Humanities |
4.5% |
| Social Sciences |
24.4% |
| General Sciences/Mathematics |
11.5% |
| Engineering/Architecture |
15.6% |
| Medicine |
1% |
| Business/Administration |
13% |
| Law |
8% |
| Agriculture |
.5% |
| Arts/Education/Literature |
16.6% |
|
* Figures based on the Statistical Abstract of Israel 2011
Source: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
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