Israel at 55: A Statistical Glimpse*
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 22,145 sq km, of which 21,671 sq km is land area.
Geographical Regions
| Arid Zones | 45% |
| Plains and Valleys | 25% |
| Mountains | 16% |
| Rift Valley | 9% |
| Coastal Strip | 5% |
Selected elevations:
| Mt. Hermon, Golan | 9,220 ft.(2,810 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 - | (1,300 ft. - 400 m) |
People
| 1980 | 1990 | 2002 | |
| Population | 3,921,700 | 4,821,700 | 6,640,200 |
| Civilian labor force | 1,318,100 | 1,649,900 | 2,284,000 |
| Jews in Israel, as a percentage of world Jewry | 25 | 30 | 38 |
| Life expectancy | |||
| Females | 75.7 | 78.4 | 80.9 |
| Males | 72.1 | 75.7 | 76.7 |
Population by Religion
| Jews | 77.2% |
| Muslims | 15.4% |
| Christians | 2.1% |
| Druze | 1.6% |
| Not classified by religion | 3.5% |
Population Distribution
| Urban localities | 91.6% |
| Rural localities | 8.4% |
| Of which: | |
| Moshavim | 3.0% |
| Kibbutzim | 1.8% |
Immigrants by Continent
1948-2001
| Europe | 1,777,000 |
| Africa | 479,700 |
| Asia | 421,100 |
| America & Oceania | 218,200 |
| Unknown | 31,550 |
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 | 1,012,400 |
Economy
State Budget, 2002: NIS 254.8 billion
| 1980 | 1990 | 2001 | |
| Gross Domestic Product(US$ billions) | 23.2 | 59.2 | 111.8 |
| Net exports of goods (US$ billions) | 5,291.9 | 11,603.1 | 25,698.2 |
| thereof: | |||
| Industrial products (excl. diamonds) | 3,340.4 | 7,696.8 | 19,561.6 |
| Agricultural products | 555.7 | 657.2 | 630.4 |
| Net imports of goods (US$ billions) | 7,845.7 | 15,107.1 | 32,696.2 |
| Tourists arriving | 1,065,800 | 1,131,700 | 1,195,700 |
| Air passengers (annual) | 2,847,000 | 3,720,000 | 8,020,000 |
| Freight shipped by air(annual in tons) | 105,800 | 194,160 | 296,055 |
| Production of electricity (millions of kilwatt/hours) | 12,400 | 20,900 | 43,800 |
| Private cars | 410,000 | 803,000 | 1,460,800 |
Education
University Students by Field of Study
(Total 117,525 students in 7 universities)
| Humanities | 26.3% |
| Social Sciences | 23.6% |
| Science and mathematics | 20.8% |
| Engineering | 14.5% |
| Medicine | 7.8% |
| Law | 3.4% |
| Business & Administration | 2.3% |
| Agriculture | 1.2% |
Israeli Foreign Ministry
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