ISRAEL

Location

Locked in Middle East, Israel has a coastline to the west on the Mediterranean Sea and an outlet to the Red Sea via Elat. Lebanon is to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east and Egypt to the west.

Geography

There are 242 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 0 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 2005 est.); Sea of Galilee is an important freshwater source.

Capital

Jerusalem

Population

6,352,117

Climate

Temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas.

Language

Hebrew, Arabic, English

Monetary Unit

Shekel

Largest Cities

Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa.

Principal rivers

Jordan (Yarden), Qishon

Places to Visit

Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa Eilat.