Middle East

Israel

The State of Israel , without niqqud: , transliteration: Medinat Yisra'el; Arabic:, transliteration: Dawlat Israil) is a country in the Middle East on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a parliamentary democracy and the world's only Jewish state. The name "Israel" means "One Who Struggles with God," and is rooted in the Biblical passage Genesis 32:28 wherein Jacob is renamed Israel after struggling with an unnamed assailant.

Israel is bordered by Lebanon and Syria in the north, Jordan and the West Bank in the east, and Egypt and the Gaza Strip in the south-west, and has coastlines on the Mediterranean in the west and the Gulf of Eilat (also known as the Gulf of Aqaba) in the south.

Israel has occupied the West Bank and the Golan Heights since the Six-Day War of 1967. It withdrew all troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip on September 12, 2005. The future status of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights remains to be determined.

Full country name: State of Israel
National name: Medinat Yisra'el
Area: 8,019 sq mi (20,770 sq km)
apital: Jerusalem,1 695,500
Population: 6,276,883 (growth rate: 1.2%); birth rate: 18.2/1000; infant mortality rate: 7.0/1000; life expectancy: 79.3; density per sq mi: 783
Ethnicity/race: Jewish 80.1% (Europe/Americas/Oceania-born 32.1%, Israel-born 20.8%, Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish 19.9% (mostly Arab) (1996 est.)
Language: Hebrew (official), Arabic, English
Religion: Judaism 80.1%, Islam 14.6% (mostly Sunni), Christian 2.1%, others 3.2% (1996 est.)
Government: Parliamentary democracy
President: Moshe Katsav (2000)
Prime Minister: Ariel Sharon (2001)

History of Israel

Palestine, considered a holy land by Jews, Muslims, and Christians, and homeland of the modern state of Israel, was known as Canaan to the ancient Hebrews. Palestine's name derives from the Philistines, a people who occupied the southern coastal part of the country in the 12th century B.C. A Hebrew kingdom established in 1000 B.C. was later split into the kingdoms of Judah and Israel; they were subsequently invaded by Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Persians, Romans, and Alexander the Great of Macedonia. By A.D. 135, few Jews were left in Palestine; most lived in the scattered and tenacious communities of the Diaspora. Palestine became a center of Christian pilgrimage after the emperor Constantine converted to that faith. The Arabs took Palestine from the Byzantine empire in 634-640. Interrupted only by Christian Crusaders, Muslims ruled Palestine until the 20th century. During World War I, British forces defeated the Turks in Palestine and governed the area under a League of Nations mandate from 1923....more on the History of Israel .

Overview of Israel's Economy

GDP: $129 billion
GDP per capita: $20,800
Annual Growth: 3.9%
Inflation: 0%
Literacy rate: 95% (2003 est.)
Major Industries: high-technology projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, construction, metals products, chemical products, plastics, diamond cutting, textiles and footwear.
Major Trading Partners: U.S., Belgium, Hong Kong, Germany, UK, Switzerland, Italy (2003).
Natural resources: timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand.

Also Read: Economy of Israel

Political System of Israel

- Foreign Relations of Israel
- Politics of Israel

Geography of Israel

Israel, slightly larger than Massachusetts, lies at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Egypt on the west, Syria and Jordan on the east, and Lebanon on the north. Its maritime plain is extremely fertile. The southern Negev region, which comprises almost half the total area, is largely a desert. The Jordan, the only important river, flows from the north through Lake Hule (Waters of Merom) and Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee or Sea of Tiberias), finally entering the Dead Sea, 1,349 ft (411 m) below sea level—the world's lowest land elevation.


- Culture: The culture of Israel, also called "Israeli culture", is inseparable from long history of Judaism and Jewish histor...more.

Regions of the Middle East There are many interpretations of the term ‘the Middle East.’ One of the most common includes the Arabian Peninsula, Anatolia, the Near East, the Iranian plateau, and occasionally North Africa. To view more information on the region of Asia and/or Africa, visit the Middle East article.Different Middle Eastern cultures are spread [...]
Eurocentrism in Middle East Some have criticized the term Middle East for its perceived Eurocentrism. The region is only east from the perspective of western Europe. To an Indian, it lies to the west; to a Russian, it lies to the south. The description Middle has also led to some confusion over changing definitions. Before the [...]
Borders of Middle East The term Middle East defines a cultural area, so it does not have precise borders. The most common and highly arbitrary definition includes: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Turkey, Iran (Persia), Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Iran is [...]
History of the Middle East The Middle East is the birthplace and spiritual center of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The region saw both periods of relative tolerance and violence. In the 20th century, it has been at the center of world affairs, and has been strategically, economically, politically, culturally, and religiously sensitive area. It possesses significant [...]
Characteristics of Middle East The Middle East is generally thought of as a predominantly Islamic Arabic community. However the area encompasses many distinct cultural and ethnic groups, including the Arabs, Berbers, Jews, Iranians, Syriacs (also called: Arameans, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Maronites), Kurds, Druze and Turks. The main language groups include: Arabic, Aramaic Hebrew, Persian, Kurdish and Turkish. [...]
Introducation of Middle East The Middle East is a political and cultural subregion of Asia, or of Africa-Eurasia. The core of the region comprises the lands between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf along with the Anatolian, Arabian and Sinai peninsulas. Sometimes, it is used in a broader sense which can include areas stretching from [...]
Religion in Asia A large majority of people in the world who practice a religious faith practice one founded in Asia. Religions founded in Asia and with a majority of their contemporary adherents in Asia include: Baha’i Faith (slightly more than half of all adherents are in Asia) Buddhism (Japan,Sri Lanka, Korea, Singapore, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, [...]
History of Asia The history of Asia can be seen as the distinct histories of several peripheral coastal regions, East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East, linked by the interior mass of the Central Asian steppe. The coastal periphery was home to some of the world’s earliest known civilizations, with each of the three regions developing [...]
Economy of Asia The economy of Asia comprises more than 4 billion people (60% of the world population), living in 46 different states. In addition to this there are six further states that lie partly in Asia, but are considered to belong to another region economically and politically. As in all world regions, the wealth of Asia [...]
Geography of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of Eurasia, comprising approximately fifty countries. It has an area, including islands, of roughly 49,694,700 km². Asia is joined to Africa by the Isthmus of Suez and to Europe by a long border generally following the Ural Mountains. Main Geographical Features The mean elevation of the continent is [...]

Asia: Asia Destination Guide

Browse the Asia Destination Guide


Got Text?
You're reading these text links and so are millions of other every month. Place your Adverts Here. E-Mail Us for Details.
 
Plan your Honeymoon in Alaska, Tahiti, Caribbean , New Zealand, Hawaii, Cooks Island, Fiji
 
Learn wide variety of courses at all levels in English and other languages in Delhi at Inlingua New Delhi
 
Plan your Visit to Agra, Jaipur and Delhi through Travel and Hospitality India
 
 
Customized Search Engine Solutions, Search Engine Rankings, Search Engine Promote, Affordable SEO Services, SEO India
 
Cellos and Violas Manufacturer and Suppliers


 
Middle East Travel Guide