Israel

Map of Israel

Country name	State of Israel
Capital	Jerusalem
Independence	14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
National holiday	Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May
Population	7,590,758 (July 2012 est.)
Sex ratio	1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
Nationality	Israeli(s)
Religions	Jewish 75.6%, Muslim 16.9%, Christian 2%, Druze 1.7%, other 3.8% (2008)
Languages	Hebrew (official), Arabic (used officially for Arab minority), English (most commonly used foreign language)
Literacy	Age 15 and over can read and write Total population: 97.1% Male: 98.5% Female: 95.9% (2004 est.)
Location	Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
Geographic coordinates	31 30 N, 34 45 E
Map references	Middle East
Area	total: 20,770 sq km land: 20,330 sq km water: 440 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than New Jersey
Land boundaries	total: 1,017 km border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km
Coastline	273 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Climate	temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Terrain	Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m
Natural resources	timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
Land use	arable land: 15.45% permanent crops: 3.88% other: 80.67% (2005)
Irrigated land	2,250 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	1.7 cu km (2001)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 2.05 cu km/yr (31%/7%/62%) per capita: 305 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes
Environment - current issues	limited arable land and natural freshwater resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note	Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) is an important freshwater source; the Dead Sea is the second saltiest body of water in the world (after Lake Assal in Djibouti); there are about 355 Israeli civilian sites including about 145 small outpost communities in the West Bank, 41 sites in the Golan Heights, and 32 in East Jerusalem (2010 est.)