Official Name: Medinat Yisrael -Hebrew (State of Israel)
Currency: New sheqel
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Hemisphere: Northern
Continent: Asia
Location: Middle East on E ends of Mediterranean Sea. Neighbors: Lebanon on North, Syria, West Bank, Jordan on East, Gaza Strip, Egypt on West.
Area: 8,357 sq mi, 21,643 sq km 9excludes the West bank and the Gaza Strip; includes the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem)
Form of Government: Multiparty republic with one legislative house (Knesset 120)
Population: (2007) 6,900,000
Population Density: (2007) per persons sq mi 825.7, persons per sq km 318.8.
Principal Language(s): Hebrew, Arabic (both official), English (most commonly used foreign language).
Religions: Jewish 76%, Muslim 16%, Arab, Christian 2%.
Capital: Jerusalem (most countries maintain their embassies in Tell Aviv)
Capital Population: Jerusalem 729,100
Capital Average Temperature: Maximum: 17.3 degrees Celsius, 63.1 degrees Fahrenheit
Major Cities: Tel Aviv-Yafo 382,500, Haifa 267,000, Rishon LeZiyyon 221,500.
Topography: The Mediterranean coastal plain is fertile and well-watered in the center is the Judean Plateau. A triangular shaped semi-desert region, the Negev, extends from S of Beersheba to an apex at head of the Gulf of Aqaba. The E border drops sharply into the Jordan Rift Valley including Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) and the Dead Seas which is 1,300 ft below sea level, lowest point on earth’s surface.
Economy: G.D.P. $184.9 bil
G.D.P. per Capita: $28,800
Vital Statistics: Vital Statistics: Vital Statistics: Vital Statistics: Birth rate per 1,000 population (2005) 20.8 (world average 20.3) Death rate per 1,000 population (2005) 5.6. (world avg. 8.6) Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman 2005) 2.84.. Life expectancy at birth (2005): male 78.3 years, female 82.3 years
Government Website: www.gov.il
Reference Sources: The World Almanac 2009, The New York Times Almanac 2009, Time Almanac 2009, World Climate Website.
