ISRAEL

Israel (Hebrew: ‫אל‬ ֵ‫ר‬ָ‫ש‬ְׂ ‫ִי‬, Yisrā'el; Arabic: ‫ل‬ ْ ‫ِإ‬, Isrā'īl), officially the State of Israel
ُ ‫سَراِئي‬
(Hebrew: ‫אל‬ ֵ‫ר‬
ָ‫ש‬ְׂ ‫דיַנת ִי‬ִ‫מ‬ ְ (help·info), Medīnat Yisrā'el; Arabic: ‫ل‬ ْ ‫َدْوَلسُة ِإ‬, Dawlat
َ ‫سسَراِئي‬
Isrā'īl), is a country in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the
Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast,
Jordan and the West Bank in the east, the Gaza Strip and Egypt on the
southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively
small area. Israel is the world's only predominantly Jewish state, with a
population of 7.5 million people, of whom 5.7 million are Jewish. Arab citizens of
Israel form the country's second-largest ethnic group, which includes Muslims,
Christians, Druze, and Samaritans.

The modern State of Israel has its historical and religious roots in the Biblical
Land of Israel, also known as Zion, a concept central to Judaism since ancient
times. Political Zionism took shape in the late-19th century and the Balfour
Declaration of 1917 formalized British policy preferring the establishment of a
Jewish state. Following World War I, the League of Nations granted Great
Britain the Mandate for Palestine and the responsibility for establishing "the
Jewish national home" within it.

In November 1947, the United Nations voted in favor of the partition of

Palestine, proposing the creation of a Jewish state, an Arab state, and a UN-
administered Jerusalem. Partition was accepted by Zionist leaders but rejected
by Arab leaders, leading to civil war. Israel declared independence on 14 May
1948 and neighboring Arab states attacked the next day. Since then, Israel has
fought a series of wars with neighboring Arab states, and in consequence
occupies territories, including the West Bank and Gaza Strip, beyond those
delineated in the 1949 Armistice Agreements. Israel has signed peace treaties
with Egypt and Jordan, but efforts to resolve conflict with the Palestinians have
so far only met with limited success and some of Israel's international borders
remain in dispute.

Israel is a developed country and a representative democracy with a

parliamentary system and universal suffrage. The Prime Minister serves as
head of government and the Knesset serves as Israel's legislative body. The
economy, based on the nominal gross domestic product, was the 41st-largest in
the world in 2008. Israel ranks highest among Middle Eastern countries on the
UN Human Development Index, and has one of the highest life expectancies in
the world. Jerusalem is the country's capital, although it is not recognized
internationally as such, while Israel's main financial center is Tel Aviv.

Geography and climate

Jerusalem MountainsIsrael is located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean

Sea, bounded by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the
east, and Egypt to the southwest. The sovereign territory of Israel, excluding all
territories captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War, is approximately
20,770 square kilometers (8,019 sq mi) in area, of which two percent is water.
The total area under Israeli law, including East Jerusalem and the Golan
Heights, is 22,072 square kilometers (8,522 sq mi). The total area under Israeli
control, including the military-controlled and partially Palestinian-governed
territory of the West Bank, is 27,799 square kilometers (10,733 sq mi).

Despite its small size, Israel is home to a variety of geographic features, from
the Negev desert in the south to the mountain ranges of the Galilee and Carmel
in the north. The Israeli Coastal Plain on the shores of the Mediterranean is
home to seventy percent of the nation's population. East of the central
highlands lies the Jordan Rift Valley, which forms a small part of the 6,500-
kilometer (4,039 mi) Great Rift Valley. The Jordan River runs along the Jordan
Rift Valley, from Mount Hermon through the Hulah Valley and the Sea of Galilee
to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the surface of the Earth. Further south is
the Arabah, ending with the Gulf of Eilat, part of the Red Sea.

The Negev DesertUnique to Israel and the Sinai Peninsula are makhteshim, or
erosion cirques. The largest makhtesh in the world is Ramon Crater in the
Negev, which measures 40 by 8 kilometers (25 by 5 mi). A report on the
environmental status of the Mediterranean basin states that Israel has the
largest number of plant species per square meter of all the countries in the
basin.

Temperatures in Israel vary widely, especially during the winter. The more
mountainous regions can be windy, cold, and sometimes snowy; Jerusalem
usually receives at least one snowfall each year. Meanwhile, coastal cities, such
as Tel Aviv and Haifa, have a typical Mediterranean climate with cool, rainy
winters and long, hot summers. The highest temperature in the continent of
Asia (53.7 °C/128.7 °F) was recorded in 1942 at Tirat Zvi kibbutz in the northern
Jordan river valley. From May to September, rain in Israel is rare. With scarce
water resources, Israel has developed various water-saving technologies,
including drip irrigation. Israelis also take advantage of the considerable sunlight
available for solar energy, making Israel the leading nation in solar energy use
per capita.

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