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Israel at 65: Statistical Glimpse

Annual Statistics: Table of Contents | 2012 | 2011 | 2010

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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.) 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.

- 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 - 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.

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 (Tirat Zvi on 21 June 1942)
- The lowest temperature ever recorded in Israel was -13.7°C (Bet Netofa Valley on 7 February 1950)

People


  1980 1990 2012
Population 3,921,700 4,821,700 8,018,000
Civilian Labor Force 1,318,100 1,649,900 3,204,200
Jews in Israel
(% of World Jewry)
25 30 43
Life expectancy:
            Females
            Males

75.7
72.1

78.4
75.7

83.6
80.0
Infant Mortality
(per 1000 live births)
15.6 9.9 3.7
School Population 1,200,700 1,451,300 1,564,700
% of Population with 13 years+ of schooling 19.2 25.3 44.4
Population, by Religion
Jews 75.4%
Muslims 17.3%
Christians 2.0%
Druze 1.7%
Not Classified 3.6%


Population Distribution
Urban 91.4%
Rural
   Moshavim
   Kibbutzim
8.6%
3.8%
1.9%
Largest Cities, by Population
Jerusalem 804,400
Tel Aviv-Yafo 404,800
Haifa 270,300
Rishon Lezion 232,400
Ashdod 212,300

Immigrants, by Decade
1948-1959
960,000
1960-1969
374,000
1970-1979
346,000
1980-1989
154,000
1990-2001
826,300
2002-2011
215,200

Today, 73 percent of Israel's Jewish population were born in Israel.

Economy

 
1980
1990
2011
Gross Domestic Product (NIS mil.)
116
111,804
871,800
Net exports of goods (US$ bil.)
   Industrial products (excl. diamonds)
   Agricultural products
5,291.9
3,340.4
555.7
11,603.1
7,696.8
657.2
67,802.2
45,752.3
1,380.6
Net imports of goods (US$ bil.)
7,845.7
15,107.1
73,536.2
Tourists Arriving
1,065,800
1,131,700
2,820,200
Air Passengers
2,847,000
3,720,000
12,343,000
Air Freight Shipped (tons)
105,800
194,160
287,762
Electricity Production (mil of kw/hr)
12,400
20,900
57,145
Private cars
410,000
803,000
2,164,385

Education

Students in Universities & Colleges
1969/1970
35,374
1979/1980
53,355
1989/1990
75,487
1999/2000
170,953
2009/2010
243,858
2010/2011
251,000
University Students, by Field of Study
(Total 125,059 students in 9 universities) 

Social Sciences
24.0%
Humanities
21.6%
Science/Math
15.4%
Engineering
14.9%
Medicine
10.8%
Business
7.4%
Law
4.6%
Agriculture
1.3%
Sources:Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs