State of Israel

Medinat Yisra'el

Area: 7,800 square miles / 20,200 square kilometers

Arable land: 17%

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 south of Beersheba to an apex at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba. The east border drops sharply into the Jordan Rift Valley, including Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) and the Dead Sea, 1,312 feet below sea level, the lowest point on the earth's surface.

Population: 5,938,093 (2002)
Population Density: 757/square mile
Age Distribution: Below 15: 27.4%. 65 or older: 9.9%
Urban Population: 91%

Republic
Capital: Jerusalem (most nations maintain embassies in Tel Aviv)
Jewish 80%, Non-Jewish (mostly Arab) 20%

Source: The World Almanac and Book of Facts: 1998, 2002.
Map created on National Geographic Society's Map Machine
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