Israel
From Themarshallwiki
Revision as of 14:26, 22 October 2009
| State of Israel מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל Medīnat Yisrā'el دَوْلَةُ إِسْرَائِيلَ Dawlat Isrā'īl | |
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| Flag | Royal Coat of Arms |
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| Anthem Hatikvah | |
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| Capital Largest city | Jerusalem Tel Aviv |
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| Official languages | Hebrew, Arabic |
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| Government - President - Prime Minister | Parliamentary republic Shimon Peres Edvard Akiva Abramovicz |
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| Establishment - from British Mandate of Palestine | 14 May 1948 |
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| Area - Total - Water (%) | 20,770km2 8,019 sq mi 1.34 |
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| Population - July 2007 est. | 7,411,000 |
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| GDP - Total - Per capita | 2006 estimate $202.562 billion $28,473 |
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| Gini | 34 (medium) |
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| HDI | 0.935 (high) |
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| Currency | Shekel (ILS)
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| Time zone - Israeli Standard Time (IST) Israeli Daylight Savings Time (IDT) | UTC+2 (UTC+3) |
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| Internet TLD | .il |
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| Calling code | +972 |
Israel is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Also adjacent are the West Bank to the east and Gaza Strip to the southwest. Israel is the world's only predominantly Jewish state with a population of about 7.4 million people, of whom approximately 5.62 million are Jewish. The largest ethnic minority group is the segment denominated as Arab citizens of Israel, while minority religious groups include Muslims, Christians, Druze, Samaritans and others, most of which are found within the Arab segment.
Israel is a representative democracy with a parliamentary system and universal suffrage. The Prime Minister serves as head of government and the Knesset serves as Israel's legislative body. The economy, based on the nominal gross domestic product, is the 44th-largest in the world. Israel ranks highest among Middle Eastern countries on the UN human development index, freedom of the press, and economic competitiveness. Jerusalem is the country's capital, seat of government, and largest city, while Israel's main financial center is Tel Aviv.
