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ISRAEL at
53: A Statistical Glimpse*
Geography
Israel stands at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa. Geographically,
it belongs to the Asian continent. Its western border is the Mediterranean
Sea. To the north it is bound by Lebanon and Syria, to the east by Jordan
and to the south by the Red Sea and Egypt. Long and narrow in shape, Israel
is about 290 miles (470 km.) long and 85 miles (135 km.) across at its
widest point. Its total area is 22,145 sq km, of which 21,671 sq km is
land area.
Geographical Regions
| Arid Zones |
45% |
| Plains and Valleys |
25% |
| Mountains |
16% |
| Rift Valley |
9% |
| Coastal Strip |
5% |
Selected elevations:
| Mt. Hermon, Golan |
9,220 ft. |
2,810 m. |
| Mt. Meron, Upper Galilee |
3,964 ft. |
1,208 m. |
| Mt. Ramon, Negev |
3,396 ft. |
1,035 m. |
| Mt. of Olives, Jerusalem |
2,739 ft. |
835 m. |
Mt. Tabor, Lower Galilee |
1,930 ft. |
588 m. |
| Mt. Carmel, Haifa |
1,792 ft. |
546 m. |
| Dead Sea - lowest point on earth |
- 1,300 ft. |
- 400 m. |
People
| |
1980 |
1990 |
1999 |
| Population |
3,921,700 |
4,821,700 |
6,209,100 |
| Civilian labor force |
1,318,100 |
1,649,900 |
2,345,100 |
| Jews in Israel, as a percentage
of world Jewry |
25 |
30 |
37 |
Life expectancy
Females
Males
|
75.7
72.1 |
78.4
75.7 |
80.3
76.1 |
Infant mortality
(per 1000 live births) |
15.6 |
9.9 |
5.8 |
| School population |
1,200,700 |
1,451,300 |
1,875,600 |
| Percentage of the population
with 13 years or more of formal schooling |
20.8 |
28.2 |
40.4 |
| Population by Religion
| Jews |
78.5% |
| Muslims |
15.0% |
| Christians |
2.1% |
| Druze |
1.6% |
| Not classified by religion |
2.7% |
|
|
Population Distribution
| Urban localities |
91.4% |
| Rural localities |
8.6% |
Of which:
Moshavim
Kibbutzim |
3.3%
1.9% |
|
Immigrants by
Continent
1948-1999
| Europe |
1,670,607 |
| Africa |
473,605 |
| Asia |
403,123 |
| America & Oceania |
211,221 |
| Unknown |
31,545 |
|
|
Immigrants by
Year of Immigration
| 1948-51 |
|
688,000 |
| 1952-59 |
|
272,000 |
| 1960-69 |
|
374,000 |
| 1970-79 |
|
346,000 |
| 1980-89 |
|
154,000 |
| 1990-99 |
|
956,300 |
|
Economy
State Budget, 2000: NIS 227.4 billion
Gross Domestic
Product
(at 1995 prices - NIS 106) |
1980 |
1990 |
1999 |
- Total
- Per capita |
138,975
36,005 |
197,644
42,411 |
302,206
49,359 |
| Net exports of goods (millions
of dollars) |
5,291.9 |
11,603.1 |
23,554.7 |
thereof:
Industrial products (excl. diamonds)
Agricultural products |
3,340.4
555.7 |
7,696.8
657.2 |
16,424.8
782.3 |
| Net imports of goods (millions
of dollars) |
7,845.7 |
15,107.1 |
30,629.7 |
| Tourists arriving |
1,065,800 |
1,131,700 |
2,312,300 |
| Air passengers (annual) |
2,847,000 |
3,720,000
|
8,734,000 |
| Freight shipped by air (annual
in tons) |
105,800 |
194,160 |
297,080 |
| Production of electricity
(in millions of kilwatt/hours) |
12,400 |
20,900 |
39,180 |
| Private cars |
410,000 |
803,000 |
1,317,000 |
| Telephone subscribers |
860,000 |
1,626,000 |
2,880,000 |
Education
University Students by Field
of Study
(Total 109,130 students in 7 universities)
|
| Agriculture |
1.2% |
| Law |
4.0% |
| Medicine |
7.9% |
| Engineering |
12.6% |
| Science and mathematics |
15.3% |
| Humanities |
28.8% |
| Social Sciences |
30.3% |
* Figures based on the Statistical Abstract of Israel,
No. 51, 2000
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