Israel - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Israel. note 1: Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) is an important freshwater source; the Dead Sea is the second saltiest body of water in the world (after Lake Assal in Djibouti)

note 2: the Malham Cave in Mount Sodom is the world's longest salt cave at 10 km (6 mi); its survey is not complete, and its length will undoubtedly increase; Mount Sodom is actually a hill some 220 m (722 ft) high that is 80% salt (multiple salt layers covered by a veneer of rock). Mother's mean age at first birth is 27.7 years (2019 est.) (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 3 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Israel
Location Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
Geographic coordinates 31 30 N, 34 45 E
Map references Middle East
Tarrain Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Natural Resources timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
Natural Hazards sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes
Irrigated Land 2,159 sq km (2020)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 1,068 km
Border Countries Egypt 208 km; Gaza Strip 59 km; Jordan 327 km (20 km are within the Dead Sea); Lebanon 81 km; Syria 83 km; West Bank 330 km
Coastline 273 km
Climate temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Area
Total Area
Land Area 21,497 sq km
Water Area 440 sq km
comparative Area slightly larger than New Jersey
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Continental shelf to depth of exploitation
Elevations
Highest point Mitspe Shlagim 2,224 m; note - this is the highest named point, the actual highest point is an unnamed dome slightly to the west of Mitspe Shlagim at 2,236 m; both points are on the northeastern border of Israel, along the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range
Lowest point Dead Sea -431 m
Mean elevation 508 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 23.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 13.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 3.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 6.3% (2018 est.)
Forest 7.1% (2018 est.)
Other 69.1% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Population concentrated in and around Tel-Aviv, as well as around the Sea of Galilee; the south remains sparsely populated with the exception of the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba

People and Society

In Israel, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Jewish 73.5% (of which Israel-born 79.7%, Europe/America/Oceania-born 14.3%, Africa-born 3.9%, Asia-born 2.1%), Arab 21.1%, other 5.4% (2022 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 1.58% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 19.1 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 8.3% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 3 beds/1,000 population (2018)
Total fertility rate 2.92 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.42 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate NA
Est married women (ages 15-49) 51.7% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 7.1% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate 1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Israeli | Israeli(s)
Languages
Religions Jewish 73.5%, Muslim 18.1%, Christian 1.9%, Druze 1.6%, other 4.9% (2022 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 27.5% (male 1,320,629/female 1,260,977)
15-64 years 60.3% (male 2,885,485/female 2,781,777)
65 years and over 12.3% (2024 est.) (male 525,161/female 628,588)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 66.9
Youth dependency ratio 47
Elderly dependency ratio 19.9
Potential support ratio 5 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 30.1 years (2024 est.)
Male 29.6 years
Female 30.7 years
Urbanization
Urban population 92.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 1.51% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 4.421 million Tel Aviv-Yafo, 1.174 million Haifa, 970,000 JERUSALEM (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.84 male(s)/female
Total population 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 3.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 2.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 83.1 years (2024 est.)
Male 81.1 years
Female 85.1 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 100% of population
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 99.3% of population
Improved: total total: 99.9% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0.7% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 3.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 1.78 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 1.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 21.2% (2020 est.)
Male 28.9% (2020 est.)
Female 13.5% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Israel

Want to know more about Israel? Check all different factbooks for Israel below.

Israel is found in Western Asia