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Official Name |
The State of Israel |
(Hebrew, Medinat Israel) |
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Capital City |
Jerusalem |
Population approx. 860,000 |
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Main Cities |
Tel Aviv (pop. 438,000), Haifa (pop. 279,590), Beersheba (pop. 205,810) |
Other cities: Netanya, Eilat, Nazareth, Tiberias, Ashdod, Rishon Lezion, Petach Tikva |
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Population |
8.68 million |
6.484 million Jews; 1.808 million Arabs (Muslim, Christian, Druze, Bedouin); 388,000 others (Christians who aren’t Arabs, other religions, people without religion) |
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Area |
1967 borders: 8,019 square miles (20,770 sq. km) |
Slightly smaller than both New Jersey and Wales |
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Location |
Eastern Mediterranean, between Gaza and Lebanon |
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Terrain |
Varied: coastal plain; hilly northern and eastern regions; Jordan Valley; Negev desert in south |
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Coastline |
170 miles (278 km) |
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Climate |
Mediterranean temperate |
Hot and dry in the southern and eastern deserts. Rain in winter. The coastal plain is humid; the hilly interior and Galilee are cooler. |
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Modern Hebrew, spoken with a Sephardi pronunciation. Written in the Hebrew alphabet from right to left |
Second official language: Arabic. Many other languages are spoken, with English predominating. |
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Religion |
Judaism |
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Minority Religions |
Islam, Christianity, Druze, Baha’i |
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Government |
Parliamentary democracy with a single-chamber parliament, the Knesset |
The head of state is the president. The head of government is the prime minister. There is an independent judiciary. |
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Currency |
New Israeli shekel (NIS) (100 agorot = 1 NIS) |
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Media |
There are three Hebrew TV channels plus satellite and cable TV. Many different radio stations |
Five Hebrew daily newspapers and eleven other language dailies, including two in English. International publications are widely available. |
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Electricity |
220 volts, 50 Hz |
3-pronged angled plugs are used. |
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DVD/Video |
PAL system |
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Internet Domain |
.il |
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Telephone |
Israel’s country code is 972, followed by the area code and number. |
To dial out of Israel, dial 00 or 013, 012, or 014. |
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Time Zone |
GMT + 2 hrs (summer time); GMT + 1 hr (winter time) |
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