Israel
Israel (officially State of Israel) is a country in Western Asia, with its capital at Jerusalem, and is home to roughly 10.0M people.
Its official languages are Arabic, Hebrew; the currency in circulation is Israeli new shekel (₪); people from here are called Israeli.
- »The Dead Sea shore is the lowest land on Earth, over 400 m below sea level.
- »Hebrew was revived as an everyday spoken language after centuries as mainly a liturgical one.
Israel touches five neighbours: Egypt to the southwest, Jordan to the east, Lebanon to the north, Palestine to the northeast and Syria to the northeast. Directions run from one centre to the other.
Jerusalem is Israel's declared capital and seat of government. Its status is disputed and most foreign embassies have historically been in Tel Aviv.
22,206 km² (8,574 sq mi), 149th largest of 198 countries and territories on file, almost exactly the size of Djibouti.
Population 10,002,200, 96th of 198 on file. That averages 450 per km² (1,167 per sq mi).
The blue bands and white field are drawn from the tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl; the Star of David sits between them.