Located on the Mediterranean Sea, Israel shares its borders with Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt.
The landscape is quite varied including deserts, hills, small mountains, valleys, rivers and lakes. Even though the land mass of Israel is actually smaller than the state of New Jersey, there are about 7.2 million people living in Israel.
As a Jewish state, about 70% of the population in Israel is Jewish. However, due to the continuous influx of immigrants over the years Arab, American, European, Russian, Asian, and African nationalities diversify the population in Israel.
Main Cities in Israel
Jerusalem: Located in the hills of Israel, Jerusalem is the capital and the largest city in Israel and is uniquely, the religious heart for Jews, Arabs, and Christians.
Tel Aviv and Gush Dan: Located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Tel Aviv is the financial, commercial, industrial and cultural epicenter of Israel.
Haifa: Located on the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Haifa is the industrial and commercial center for the northern parts of Israel as well as Israel’s major port.
Beer Sheva: This is the largest city in the South, providing resources such as employment, education, health services, etc. for all of the southern areas of Israel.
Israel Facts - Languages
The official languages in Israel are Hebrew and Arabic. English is widely spoken (semi-official).
All road signs, government statements, emergency broadcastings, etc. are published in all three main languages.
Due to the enormous amount of immigrants in Israel, many other languages are used. In urban centers and most businesses, in which a common language is required, English is the language used.
Weather in Israel
The weather in Israel is usually warm and sunny. The summer season is hot and dry, with the hottest moths during July and August. The rainy season is from November to April, in which most of the rainfall is during December and January.
The coast is hot and humid in the summer and mild in the winter. The higher elevations have hot and dry summers with cold and wet winters. Temperatures in the winter range from 10-25 degrees and 25-35 degrees in the summer.
Israel Facts - Religion/ Holidays
In Israel, the major Jewish holidays are national holidays which are also vacation days. These holidays include:
- Rosh Hashanah- Jewish New Year
- Yom Kippur- Day of Atonement
- Sukkot- Feast of Booths
- Chanukah- Festival of Lights
- Purim- Dress up
- Pesach- Passover
- Shavuot- Holiday of Weeks
Israel Facts - Government
Israel’s government is a parliamentary democracy including 3 authorities:
- The legislative authority is the Knesset (Parliamentary) which is comprised of 120 members that are elected through a nationwide vote for a four year term.
- The executive authority is the Prime Minister who also serves a term of four years and is elected by a nationwide vote and is formed by a coalition of parties.
- The Judicial Court
Israel Facts - Industry
Israel’s modern and diverse market economy is built on several industries including: agriculture, biotechnology, construction, electronics, information technology, manufacturing, telecommunications, and tourism.
Israel’s export industry is successful due to its ability to manufacture and export many technologically innovative products to USA, Europe, and Asia.
Israel’s technology industry has also attracted massive foreign investment.
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