Geography of Israel

Israel is a country of the the Middle East measuring 20 770 km ² (including 440 km ² of water). The country is delimited in the west by the the Mediterranean (273 km of littoral), in north by the Lebanon (79 km of border), in the North-East by the Syria (76 km), in the east by the Jordan (238 km) and the the West Bank (307 km), in the south by the Golfe of Aqaba (Red Sea) and in south-west by the Egypt (255 km) and the Gaza Strip (51 km).

The country is 470 km long (of Kiryat Shmona with Eilat) on 135 km broad (between Gaza and the Dead Sea).

Coordinated geographical:

Landscapes

Israel counts several natural areas with climates and varied landscapes:

the Littoral , in the west which profits from a Mediterranean Climat,
the Galileo, in north, where the Mont Méron culminates with 1 208 m,
the valley of the the Jordan, in the east, which connects the Lac of Tibériade to the Dead Sea,
the desert of the Negev, in the south, which occupies about half of the country.

Part of these natural areas, which are beyond the " Green line " of 1967, are not recognized internationally like belonging to the Israeli territory (Gaza at the seaside; part of the valley of the the Jordan). It is in particular the case of the Judaea and the Samarie (the West Bank), in the center, area of mounts and hills. The area of the Golan, whose annexation in 1981 is not recognized by the International community, form with the eyes of the Hebrew State an area with share. This area, which is a strategic position on the military level, located at the North-East of the Lac of Tibériade is the independent source of litigation between Israel and the Syria.

The point low of the sphere is in Israel, with the Dead Sea, located at 408 meters in lower part of the Sea level.

Natural resources

timber structural
Potash
ore of Copper
Natural gas
Phosphate
bromide of Magnesium
clays
sand

Territorial administration

See: Districts of Israel

urban Surfaces

In 2004, the Israeli Office of the Statistics defines three urban surfaces:

Tel Aviv (2 933 300 inhabitants)
Haïfa (980 600 inhabitants)
Beer-Sheva (511 700 inhabitants)

The population of the town of Jerusalem is of 693 200 inhabitants. The urban surface is more important, but its limits which exceed on the the West Bank are sources of controversies as well Israeli side as Palestinian side.

See too

List of the Towns of Israel

Physical geography

Topography

Israel is divided into four areas: the coastal Flat , central hills, the valley of the Rift of the the Jordan, and the Negev desert .

Gaza in the south, interrupted only by Cape Carmel At Haifa Bay. It is butt forty kilometers wide At five Gaza and narrows toward the north to butt kilometers At the Lebanese to border. Fertile The area is and humid (historically malarial) and is known for its Citrus and viniculture. The lime pit is traversed by several shorts streams, off which only two, the Yarqon and Qishon, cuts permanent toilets flows.

East off the coastal lime pit central dregs the highland area. In the north off this area binds the mountains and hills off Upper Galileo and Lower Galileo; farther to the south are the Samarian Hills with numerous small, fertile valleys; and south off Jerusalem are the mainly barren hills off Judea. Central The highlands average 610 meters (2,000 ft) in height and reach to their highest rise At Mount Meron, At 1,208 meters (3,963 ft), in Galileo near Zefat (Safad). Several valleys cut across the highlands roughly from east to west; the largest is the Yizreel gold Jezreel Valley (also known ace the Lime pit off Esdraelon), which stretches forty-eight kilometers (30 semi) from Haifa southeast to the valley off the Jordan To rivet, and is nineteen kilometers across At its widest not.

Central East off the highlands dregs the Jordan Rift Valley, which has small share off the 6,500-kilometer-length (4,040 semi) Syrian-East African Rift. In Israel the Rift Valley is dominated by the Jordan To rivet, Lake Tiberias (known also ace the Sea off Galileo and to Israelis ace Lake Kinneret), and the Dead Sea. The Jordan, Israel' S largest to rivet (322 km/200 semi), originates in the daN, Baniyas, and Hasbani rivers near Mount Hermon in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains and flows south through the drained Hula Basin into the Freshwater Lake Tiberias. Lake Tiberias is 165 square kilometers (63.7 semi ²) in size and, depending one the Season and Rainfall, is At butt 213 meters (700 ft) below sea level. With has toilets capacity estimated At 3 cubic kilometers (106 billion cubic feet), it serfs ace the principal tank off the National Toilets Carrier (also known ace the Kinneret-Negev Conduit). The Jordan To rivet off continuous its race from the southern end Lake Tiberias (forming the boundary between the West Bank and Jordan) to its terminus in the highly saltworks Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is 1,020 public garden kilometers (393 semi ²) in size and, At 399 meters (1,309 ft) below sea level, is the lowest not in the world. South off the Dead Sea, the Valley Rift continuous in the Nahal HaArava (Wadi Al Arabah in Arabic), which has permanent No toilets flow, for 170 kilometers (106 semi) to the GULF off Aqaba.

The Negev Serves included/understood approximately 12,000 public garden kilometers (4,600 semi ²), more than half off Israel' S total Land area. Geographically it is year extension off the the Sinai Serves, forming has rough triangle with its bases in the north near Beersheba (aka Beersheva), the Dead Sea, and the southern Judean Hills, and it has its apex in the southern tip off the country At Eilat. Central Topographically, it parallels the other areas off the country, with lowlands in the west, hills in the portion, and the Nahal HaArava ace its eastern to border.

; Rise extremes:

* Lowest not: Dead Sea -408 m (- 1,339 ft)

* Highest not: Har Hermon At 2,248 m (7,375 ft) in the unilaterally annexed Golan Heights gold Har Meron At 1,208 m (3,963 ft) within the 1967 boundaries.

Climate

Israel has long Mediterranean climate characterized by, hot, rainless summers and relatively shorts, cool, rainy winters. The climate is determined by Israel' S hiring between the subtropical aridity off the Sahara and the subtropical Arabian deserts, and the humidity off the Raising gold eastern Mediterranean. The climate conditions variable are highly within the state and modified locally by altitude, latitude, and the proximity to the Mediterranean sea.

January is the coldest month with average ranging temperatures from 6°C to 15°C (43°F to 59°F), and July-August are the hottest months At 22°C to 33°C (72°F to 91°F) one average across the state. Summers are very humid along the Mediterranean coast central goal dry in the highlands, the Valley Rift, and the Negev Serves. In deserted Eilat, the city, summer daytime-temperatures are often the highest in the state, At times reaching 44°C to 46°C (111°F to 115°F). More than 70 bore off the average rainfall in Israel falls between November and March; June through September are usually rainless. Rainfall is unevenly distributed, decreasing sharply ace one moves southward. In the extreme south, rainfall averages near 30 millimeters (1.2 in) annually; in the north, average annual rainfall exceeds 900 millimeters (35.5 in). Rainfall vary from season to season and from year to year, particularly in the Negev Desert. Precipitation is often concentrated in violent one storms, causing Erosion and flooding. In winter, it may take the form off Snow central At the higher rises off the highlands, including Jerusalem. Mount Hermon has seasonal snow which covers all three off its peaks for most off the year in winter and spring. Receive The areas off the country most cultivated are those that more than 300 millimeters (12 in) off rainfall annually; cultivable butt one-third off the country is.

Thunderstorms and hail are common throughout the rainy season and waterspouts occasionally hit the Mediterranean coast, able off causing only minor ramming. However, supercell thunderstorms and has true F2 tornado hit the Western Galileo April 4 2006, causing significant ramming and 75 insult.

Environmental concerns

; Natural hazards:

Sandstorms may occur during spring; Drought S; Flash flood S; periodic Earthquake S

; Environment--current resulting:

arable Limited Land and natural fresh toilets resources poses serious constraints; Turning into a desert; Air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and Pesticide S

; Environment--international agreements:

* Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Changes, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Round of applause, Ozone To bush-hammer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

* Signed, goal not ratified: Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation

; Note: ; Sea off Galileo is important year freshwater source.

Human geography

In 2005 total the population off the Israeli inhabited places is estimated At 6.9 million. Depending one the applied definitions, there were three to five metropolises, which included nap off Israel' S 71 cities and hundreds off towns.

Among Israel' S villages, the Kibbutz im and single Moshav im are types off settlement to Israel. There are 242 Israeli settlements and civilian Land uses sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and 29 in East Jerusalem (February 2002 is.);

Urban geography

Israeli metropolises are Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beer Sheva and possibly also Jerusalem and Nazareth.

In 2005 there are 71 Israeli cities, including 3 Israeli cities in the West Bank (see List off cities in Israel). The status off city is awarded by the Israeli minister off internal affairs to settlements that apply for this status and usually not off has threshold 20.000, although the minister edge give and in give sum boxes does out the status beforehand.

Israeli towns off 5.000 residents and more are incorporated local ace council S. Most towns between 2.000 and 5.000 residents local are committees within regional council S, although exceptions exist.

Rural geography

Israel' S rural space includes several single kinds off settlements, notably the Moshav and the Kibbutz. Originally collective thesis were and co-operative settlements respectively. Over time, the dismantles off co-operation in thesis settlements has reduced and in several off them the co-operative structure was dismantled altogether. Rural All settlements and many small towns (nap off which are dubbed " rurban settlements") are incorporated in regional councils.

Political geography

; Area:

* Total: 20,770 km ² (8,019 semi ²)

* Land: 20,330 km ² (7,849 semi ²)

* Toilets: 440 km ² (170 semi ²)

; Land boundaries:

* Total: 1,017 km (632 semi)

* To border countries: Egypt 266 km (165 semi), Gaza Strip 51 km (32 semi), Jordan 238 km (148 semi), Lebanon 79 km (49 semi), Syria 76 km (47 semi), West Bank 307 km (191 semi)

; Coastline:

273 km (170 semi)

; Maritime claims:

* Continental shelf: to depth off exploitation

* Territorial sea: 12 Nm (22.2 km)

Northernmost not - the Tripoint with Syria and Lebanon, Golan Heights ¹
Easternmost not - year unnamed hiring one to border with Syria ²
Southernmost not - the not At which the Israel-Egypt to border off enters the GULF Aqaba, east off Taba, Egypt
Westernmost not - the Egypt-Israel-Gaza Tripoint, is Israel' S westernmost not.

Economic geography

; Natural resources:

Copper, Phosphates, Bromide, Potash, Clay, Sand, Sulfur, Asphalt, Manganese, small amounts off Natural gas and Crude oil

; Land uses:

* Arable Land: 17.02%

* Permanent crops: 4.17%

* Other: 78.81% (1998 are.)

; Irrigated Land:

1,990 km ² but 768 semi ² (1998 are.)

Sources

http://mama.indstate.edu/users/gejdg/rural.pdf

¹ Yew the Golan Heights area is not considered share off Israel, then year unnamed hiring one the Lebanese to border (the Blue Line), immediately to the north off Metulla, is Israel' S northernmost not.

² Yew the Golan Heights area is not considered share off Israel, then year unnamed hiring one to border with Syria west off Qela is Israel' S easternmost not

Other geographic features

Dead Sea
Galileo
Mount Arbel
Jordan To rivet off
Lake Hula
Masada
Mount Carmel
Negev
Sea Galileo
Sharon
Yatir Forest
Districts off Israel
List off cities in Israel -->

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