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Location
Middle East, bordering the
Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt
and Lebanon
Geographic coordinates
31 30 N, 34 45 E
Area
Total: 20,770 sq km
Comparative: slightly smaller
than New Jersey
Land boundaries
Total: 1,017 km
Border countries: Egypt 266 km,
Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km,
West Bank 307 km
Coastline
273 km
Climate
Temperate; hot and dry in southern
and eastern desert areas
Terrain
Negev desert in the south;
low coastal plain; central mountains;
Jordan Rift Valley
Elevation extremes
Lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
Highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m
Natural resources
Timber, potash, copper ore,
natural gas, phosphate rock,
magnesium bromide, clays, sand
Population
6,029,529 (July 2002 est.)
(note: includes about 182,000 Israeli settlers
in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied
Golan Heights, fewer than 7,000 in the Gaza Strip, and
about 176,000 in East Jerusalem (August 2001 est.)
Ethnic groups
Jewish 80.1% (Europe/America-born
32.1%, Israel-born 20.8%, Africa-born
14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish
19.9% (mostly Arab) (1996 est.)
Religions
Jewish 80.1%, Muslim 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian
2.1%, other 3.2% (1996 est.)
Languages
Hebrew (official), Arabic used
officially for Arab minority, English
most commonly used foreign language
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Government type
Parliamentary democracy
Capital
Jerusalem
(note - Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its
capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other
countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv)
Military branches
Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
(includes ground, naval, and air
components with Air Defense Forces),
Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal), Frontier
Guard, Chen (women)
(note
- historically there have been no separate
Israeli military services)
Military manpower
Availability: males age 15-49: 1,542,835
females age 15-49: 1,499,830 (2002 est.)
Fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,262,973
females age 15-49: 1,223,939 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $8.866 bilion (FY01)
Percent of GDP: 8% (FY01)
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Israel
