CHAPTER 1 Introduction Israel is a small country in the Middle East that occupies a narrow strip of territory at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea Known to many as the Holy Land Israel is situated in a land of central importance to three of the world’s major religions Judaism Christianity and Islam and in 1948 it was established as the world’s only Jewish state Since then from being a sparsely occupied country its population has increased over eight times to nearly 8 million The sheer number of new inhabitants has generated many changes in the country social economic and cultural PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY Area total 8,020 sq mi 20,770 sq km land 7,850 sq mi 20,330 sq km water 170 sq mi 440 sq km Highest point Har Meron 3,963 ft 1,208 m Lowest point Dead Sea 1,338 ft 408 m Land boundaries total 393 sq mi 1,017 km border countries Egypt 165 miles 266 km Gaza Strip 32 miles 51 km Jordan 148 miles 238 km Lebanon 49 miles 79 km Syria 47 miles 76 km West Bank 190 miles 307 km Coastline 169 miles 273 km Source CIA World Factbook 2008 The Negev Desert takes up most of the southern half of Israel It is a rocky desert full of mountains sandy plains wadis dry riverbeds that flow briefly after rain and deep craters
Israel
Since its foundation in 1948, Israel has undergone dramatic changes.
About This Book
By: Susie Hodge
Illustrated by:
Published by: Arcturus Publishing provided by Britannica
