Introduction to Israel
Israel is a country in Western Asia, on the south-eastern
shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It shares land borders with Lebanon in the
north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan on the east, the Palestinian territories
(or State of Palestine) comprising the West Bank and Gaza Strip on the east and
southwest respectively, Egypt and the Gulf of Aqaba at the Red Sea to the
south, and it contains geographically diverse features within its relatively
small area. In its basic laws, Israel defines itself as a Jewish and democratic
state; it is the world's only Jewish-majority state.
Capital and Largest City:
Jerusalem 31°47′N 35°13′E
Official Languages:
Hebrew and Aramaic
Ethnic Groups (2014):
75.3% Jewish, 20.7% Arab, 4% Others
Government: Unitary
Parliamentary Republic
President – Reuven Rivlin
Prime Minister – Benjamin Netanyahu
Legislature: Knesset
Independence from Mandatory Palestine: Declared May 14, 1948. Recognition May 1, 1949.
Population – 2014 estimate 8,180,000. Density 1,004.00/sq mi.
Gross Domestic Product (Purchasing
Power Parity)
2014 estimate - Total $286.840 billion - Per capita $35,658
Gross Domestic Product (Nominal)
2014 estimate - Total $305.707 billion - Per Capita $38,004
Currency: Israeli New
Shekel
Time Zone: Israel
Standard Time (UTC+2) – Summer (DST) Israel Summer Time (UTC+3)
Date Format:
dd-mm-yyyy (CE)
Drives On The: Right
Calling Code: +972
ISO 3166 code: IL
Internet TLD: .il
Israel welcomed approximately 16,600 new Immigrants during
2013.
In 2012, 4.3 million (73%) of the total Jewish population
were born in Israel—compared with just a 35% native-born population at Israel's
independence in 1948. 38.6% of the
Jewish population are Israeli-born to at least one parent who was also
Israeli-born.
About 40% of Israel's total population lives in the center
of the country (24% in central region and 16.5% in Tel Aviv area). Approximately 17% of the population lives in
the North and another 14% are based in the South. 12% live in both Jerusalem
and Haifa regions and another 4% in the West Bank.
Just under half of the Jewish population lives in the center
of the country, either Jerusalem or Tel Aviv metropolitan areas. 60% of the
Arab population lives in the north.
Largest
Jewish Populated Metropolitan Areas,
Worldwide
(as of 2012)
Rank
|
Metro Area
|
Country
|
Jewish
Population
|
1
|
Tel Aviv
|
Israel
|
3,070,800
|
2
|
New York
|
United States
|
2,099,000
|
3
|
Jerusalem
|
Israel
|
850,900
|
4
|
Los Angeles
|
United States
|
688,600
|
5
|
Haifa
|
Israel
|
686,300
|
6
|
South Florida
|
United States
|
485,850
|
7
|
Be’er Sheva
|
Israel
|
377,700
|
8
|
San Francisco
|
United States
|
345,700
|
9
|
Washington-Baltimore
|
United States
|
332,900
|
10
|
Boston
|
United States
|
295,700
|
11
|
Chicago
|
United States
|
294,700
|
12
|
Paris
|
France
|
284,000
|
13
|
Philadelphia
|
United States
|
280,000
|
14
|
London
|
United Kingdom
|
195,000
|
15
|
Toronto
|
Canada
|
180,000
|
