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
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