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The Land of IsraelBasic Facts

A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey... Exodus 3:8

Israel is a small, narrow, semi-arid country on the southeastern coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. It entered history some 35 centuries ago when the Jewish people gave up its nomadic way of life, settled in the Land and became a nation.

Over the years, the Land was known by many names - Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel); Zion, one of Jerusalem's hills which came to signify both the city and the Land of Israel as a whole; Palestine, derived from Philistia, and first used by the Romans; the Promised Land; and the Holy Land, to mention but a few. However, to most Israelis today, the country is simply Ha'aretz - the Land.

More than 7 million people live in Israel today; some 5.4 million Jews and 1.4 million Arabs. A wide spectrum of lifestyles characterizes the country, ranging from religious to secular, from modern to traditional, from urban to rural, from communal to individual.

Israel, land of the Bible and the historic homeland of the Jewish people, is situated in the Middle East, along the eastern coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, and forms part of a land bridge linking three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe. In this land, the Jewish people began to develop its distinctive religion and culture some 4,000 years ago, and here it has preserved an unbroken physical presence, for centuries as a sovereign state, at other times under foreign domination.

Long and narrow in shape, the country is about 290 miles in length from north to south and some 85 miles across at its widest point between the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean coast. Israel is bordered by Lebanon in the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the southwest and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

Although small in size, Israel encompasses the varied topographical features and climates of a continent. In the north, the forested highlands of Galilee merge with fertile green valleys; sand dunes and farmland mark the coastal plain bordering the Mediterranean shoreline; the rocky peaks of the Samarian and Judean mountain ranges in the center of the country descend sharply to the semi-tropical Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. Mountainous deserts, stretching southward through the Negev and Arava, end at the Gulf of Eilat, the northernmost tip of the Red Sea.

Climate
The country's temperate climate is characterized by much sunshine, with a rainy season from November to April. Total annual precipitation ranges from about 20-30 inches in the north to just over an inch in the far south. Regional climatic conditions vary considerably: hot, humid summers and mild, wet winters in the coastal plain; dry, comfortably warm summers and moderately cold winters, with rain and occasional light snow, in the hill regions; hot, dry summers and pleasant winters in the Jordan Valley; and year-round, semi-arid conditions, with warm to hot days and cool nights, in the south.

Water
Since water is scarce in the region, intense efforts are made to maximize the use of what is available and to seek new prospective resources. In the 1960s, the country's fresh water sources were joined in an integrated national grid, whose main artery, the National Water Carrier, brings water from the north and center of the country to the semi-arid south through a network of giant pipes, aqueducts, open canals, reservoirs, tunnels, dams and pumping stations. Ongoing projects for the utilization of new sources include cloud seeding, recycling of sewage water and the desalination of seawater.

Flora and Fauna
The rich variety of Israel's plant and animal life reflects its geographical location as well as its varied topography and climate. Over 500 kinds of birds, some 100 mammal and 90 reptile species, and nearly 3,000 plant types (150 of which are endemic to Israel) are found within its borders. More than 150 nature reserves and 65 national parks, encompassing nearly 400 square miles, have been established throughout the country, with several hundred additional sites in the planning stage.

Source: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs