21 Must-Know Facts about Israel
This is my next look at a country in Asia from my list of countries in Asia.
Israel is in the news for all the wrong/right reasons depdending on which side of the fence you sit.
However, did you know these 21 must-know facts about Israel?
1. Israel is just 20,700 square kilometers. This is about the same size as New Jersey or Vermont. It’s also comparable in size to Slovenia or Ecuador. (corrected)
2. Though the same size as New Jersey, Israel has about 2 million less people. – 7,000,000ish. And, more than 12 times the population of Vermont. (corrected)
3. About two in three Israeli Jews were born in Israel. Three/fourths of the country are Jews. One in five immigrated there from Europe or the Americas. The rest came from other parts of Asia and Africa.
4. One in six Israelis are Muslim.
5. Israel has two official languages – Hebrew and Arabic. Most Israelis can communicate in English, too.
6. Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, is at or near the heart of three world-wide religions – Jews, Christians and Muslims. Three out of four Israelis are Jews, one in six are Muslim and less than 2% are Christian.
- Jerusalem
7. Israel has won just seven Olympic gold medals, but representatives from the country have won 100 Paraolympic gold medals.
8. Israel’s neighbors (boundaries) are: Egypt (266 km), Gaza Strip (51 km), Jordan (238 km), Lebanon (79 km), Syria (76 km), West Bank (307 km). There is 273km of coast line. (1.62km – 1 mile)
9. Israel naturally fears sandstorms during spring and summer, droughts and from time to time – earthquakes. They don’t seem to fear much else.
- Sandstorm
10. Israel hurts for natural fresh water, and suffers from desertification, air and ground water pollution.
11. The average age in Israel is 28.9 years. More than one in four are 14-years old or younger. Israeli females have a life expectancy of 82.79 years.
12. Israel spend 6.9% of its GDP on education and 7.3% on its military. Hmm…
13. Israel’s Independence Day was May 14, 1948.
- Israel
14. You can contact Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. at
Ambassador Salai MERIDOR
chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-5500
FAX: [1] (202) 364-5607
15. Israel’s unemployment rate is 7.3%.
16. Israel’s best export partners – US 35%, Belgium 7.5%, Hong Kong 5.8%
17. Israels’ best import partners – US 13.9%, Belgium 7.9%, Germany 6.2%, China 6.1%, Switzerland 5.1%, UK 4.7%, Italy 4.1%
18. Almost one in three Israelis are online.
19. Israel’s economy depends on
- Industry: high-technology projects
- Agriculture: citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef
- Exports: machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds
20. All single women in Israel must serve 2 years in the military.
- Israeli Woman Soldier
21. Israel has about 598,000 armed forces personnel. Compare that to 3.8 million armed forces personnel for the combined nearby countries -
- Iraq -1million
- Iran – 900K
- Syria – 700K
- Egypt – 700K
- Saudi Arabia – 160K
- Jordan – 140K
- Lebanon – 68K
- Palestine – 40K
22. Israel has been hated, rightfully or wrongfully for a long long time and it’s not about to change any time soon. Call it a family problem, if you will.
While you are here, Sign My Israel Guestbook.
And if you feel so inclined, please Subscribe to PanAsianBiz and join me on my fact finding in Asia.
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January 20, 2009
Ida:
This article, as detailed and well written as it may be, is biased and factually misleading.
There’s a constant disinformation war on the web regarding most sensitive conflicts, including the Israeli-Palestine conflict.
I suggest reading books (actual paperback preferred) written by bodies as neutral as possible.
As far as you and I know, the writers of this website could be anti-semites imposing as Jews.
January 20, 2009
Are the Palestinians not responsible for the rockets they have sent into Israel for years now? Is Israel wrong for defending itself against rocket attacks?
Wouldn’t the Palestinians lose less people if they didn’t launch their rockets from schools and hospitals? When Muslims tell Europe that their 9/11 is coming, is that not terrorism?
I don’t understand the terrorist thought process. Palestinians have repeatedly refused their own land because it doesn’t call for the complete death of Israel. Apparantly Muslims are responsible for nothing, which is obvious considering their failure to build anything; they can only destroy.
January 20, 2009
Shai, I, Bill, wrote this. I am neither anti-semitic nor Jewish.
I welcome you to guest blog at my site….perhaps you could write smth more factual/less biased.
January 20, 2009
Please read this article:
The Origin of the Palestine-Israel Conflict
Published by Jews for Justice in the Middle East
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/history/origin.html
p/s: Try to read a few more articles from the site while you are at it.
January 20, 2009
@ben
Jerusalem is the capital of israel.
check wikipedia if you still think its not.
January 20, 2009
This explain what is Israel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMnswBlFTQg
January 19, 2009
Why do u people think Jerusalem is the capital!! its not
January 18, 2009
Mark – There have been some sort of confusion, which originated on my part.
The last response which was published by Ali was actually published by me, I accidentally wrote “Ali” in the name as I intended to post it as a response to Ali.
January 17, 2009
My words are to Ja who knows little about Islam, or maybe knows yet tries to put things in a way that makes us belive him. Int the Holly Quran Surat Israa(17) Vs 1 It talks about the trip the Propher Mohamad (Peace be upon him) made from the holly mosque in Mecca refered to in the verse as the Masjid AL Harram to the Masjid Al Aqsa. Which was before the original place used by Muslims to pray. Al Masjid Al Aqsa is Muslims second holly place and not third holly place as it comes directly after Mecca.
This is the text as it a pears in a translation and in the Quran:
[17:2] سُبْحٰنَ الَّذِىْۤ اَسْرٰى بِعَبْدِهٖ لَيْلاً مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَـرَامِ اِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْاَقْصَا الَّذِىْ بٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهٗ لِنُرِيَهٗ مِنْ اٰيٰتِنَاؕ اِنَّهٗ هُوَ السَّمِيْعُ الْبَصِيْرُ
[
17:2] Glory be to Him Who carried His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Distant Mosque, the environs of which We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our Signs. Surely, He alone is the Hearing, the Seeing.
January 17, 2009
[Israel has been hated, rightfully or wrongfully for a long long time and it’s not about to change any time soon. Call it a family problem, if you will.]
Israel has been hated WRONGFULLY, always wrongfully, ignorantly . . .
Its not a problem, Israel is blessed . . .