Adopt a Country: Unit One: Location

Israel in the World

.....Israel is a very small country in western Asia. Its northern borderline is at 33° N and its southern borderline is at 29° N. Israel’s furthest west borderline is at 34° and its furthest east borderline is at 35°. It is on the very most southeastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea.

Israel in Western Asia

.....Israel’s surrounding countries are Lebanon, to the north, Syria and Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the south-west. It borders Egypt for 266 km, the Gaza Strip for 51 km, Jordan for 238 km, Lebanon for 79 km, Syria for 76 km, and the West Bank for 307 km.

Israel's Cities

.....Israel has a population of 6,352,117. This includes about 187,000 people in the West Bank (Palestine), 20,000 Israelis in Golan Heights and less than 177,000 people in East Jerusalem. Its major cities are Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, Tel Aviv, the former capital of the country, and Haifa. Jerusalem has about 700,000 people, Tel Aviv has 390,000 people, and Haifa has 280,000 people. Jerusalem’s name means the city of peace and its geographic co-ordinates are 31° 46’ 45”N, 35° 13’ 25”E.

Political Divisions

.....Israel is divided into six sections: Northern, Southern, Central, Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv. The capital city of Northern Israel is Nazareth, the capital city of the Southern part is Beersheba, and the capital city of Central Israel is Ramla and the other three sections are named after their capital. Jerusalem’s capital city is Jerusalem, Haifa’s capital city is Haifa and Tel Aviv’s capital city is Tel Aviv.

Israel's Physical Relief

.....Israel starts at sea level on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and from there, it raises a bit. Later on, it raises up Israel highest point is Mount Hermon, at 2,814 metres above sea level. It is situated at 33° 24’ N, 35°51’ E. Its lowest point is the Dead Sea, the lowest point in the world at -480 metres below sea level. The Dead Sea’s co-ordinates are 31° 20’ N, 35° 35’ E.

Movement and Communication

.....Israel has 3 million telephone lines in use and 7.222 million cellular phones. They have the most advanced telephone system in the Middle East and, in turn, have good cellular system. The country code for phoning is 972.


.....Israel has: 32 AM radio stations, 15 FM stations, and 2 short-wave radio stations (as of 1998), and 17 television broadcast stations. Israel also has 3.2 million people who use the internet every day.

.....The country has 853 total kilometers of railways and 17,364 km of roadways. Every one of these roads are paved.


.....Israel has 53 airports. Of these airports, 30 of them have runways. Besides airports, Israel has 3 heliports.

Israel's Resources

......Israel is the second leading producer of bromine in the world, the fifth leading producer of potash, and the eighth leading producer of phosphate rock as of 2004.  The country also produces minerals like lime, limestone, quartz, flint clay, gypsum, kaolin, magnesia, silica sand, and sulphur.  Israel also produces metals such as lead, magnesium, and steel.  This very small country also produces building materials like cement, crushed stone, marble, and sand.  Israel also cuts imported diamond and other gemstones and produces natural gas, petroleum, and other petroleum products.  One of the major mining companies is the Negev Industrial Minerals Ltd.
 
.....Israel has some arable land and crops, but most of the country is in the desert.

The Desert

The desert takes up about 60% of Israel.

Israel's Rivers

Human and Environmental Interactions

.....War is the worst environmental contaminate known to man because it involves the intentional killing of other human beings. 
Sometimes, people at war will kill others by any means necessary.  During the war, land, water, animals, plants, buildings, and people are in danger because of all of the bombs, explosions, etc., that corresponds with the war.
 
.....Israel has many other environmental issues.  Some of them are: limited arable land and natural fresh water resources, the land is becoming dry.  There is also air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions, groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides.  Most of these issues are caused by peoples’ carelessness towards the environment.

Current Events

Following are the Current Events

Hispanic Heritage Month

Embassy of Israel Honours Hispanic Heritage Month

.....On Tuesday, September 12th, the Embassy of Israel hosted a reception in honour of Hispanic Heritage Month.  The Latino and Latin American Institute of the American Jewish Community supported this event.  The reception was held to celebrate the shared bonds and values between the Jewish and Hispanic people and communities.

.....Over 200 important members of the Washington , D.C. Hispanic community enjoyed an evening of music, food, and speeches by important people.  The speakers’ main ideas were the strategic importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship, as well as the necessity of reaching out to all segments of American society with this message.

Foreign Minister Visit

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni Visits the United States

.....Israel’s Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, visited the United States on September 13 for visits in Washington , D.C. and New York .  In Washington , Livni met Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and National Security Advisor Stephan Hadley. The Foreign Minister also met with Congressional leaders from the House and Senate. 

.....Livni also spoke at the annual conference for the trustees of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. After she left Washington , she went to New York where she met with political figures, public opinion makers and the press. While at the United Nations, the Foreign Minister met with heads of state and foreign ministers from Egypt , Qatar , the European Union, Canada , the Netherlands, Sweden , and other countries.

A New Year Begins

A New Year Begins
 
.....Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the Jewish new year.  It originated in the Bible, being called “a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts of the shofar, the ram’s horn”.  Rosh Hashanah means “beginning of the year”.  The themes of the festival, as well as the festival itself, art rabbinical.  These themes are: “repentance and preparation for the day of Divine judgment and prayer for a fruitful year”.  Rosh Hashanah is a two-day festival that is in the first and second month (tishri) of the Jewish calendar.  The new year will begin this year at sunset on Friday, September 22 and the celebrations will end at sunset on Sunday, September 24.
 
.....The important customs of Rosh Hashanah are the sounding of the shofar (the ram’s horn) in the middle of long synagogue (a Jewish church) ceremony that’s main point is that it focuses on the festival themes and fancy meals to celebrate the new year. 
 
.....It is classified that Israel ’s new year begins on Rosh Hashanah, but the celebrations usually take place before that time.
 
.....The population for the start of this new year is 7,057,060.
 
.....Jewish Agencies estimates that 24,000 Jewish people from other countries from all over the world will immigrate to Israel during the year of 2006.  This would be a five percent increase from 2005.  Of these expected 24,000 immigrants, it is estimated that 3,400 of them will come from the United States and Canada. This would be an increase of twelve percent from 2005.

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement
 
.....Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, began at sundown on Sunday, October 1. During this day, Jews pray for forgiveness for sins against God and for wrongful actions against their fellow men.

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