Travelling Club - Israel

Fact Sheet: Israel

• Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
• Geographic coordinates: 31 30 N, 34 45 E
• Area: total: 20,770 sq km
• 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
• Natural hazards: sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes
• Population: 6,352,117
• Ethnic groups: Jewish 76.4% (Israel-born 51.3%, Europe/America-born 17.3%, Africa-born 4.5%, Asia-born 3.2%), non-Jewish 23.6% (mostly Arab) (2004)
• Religions: Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)
• Languages: Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
• Government type: parliamentary democracy
• Capital: name: Jerusalem; note - Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv
• Currency code: new Israeli shekel (ILS); note - NIS is the currency abbreviation; ILS is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) code for the NIS
• Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001)
• Internet country code: .il
• Airports: 53 (2006)