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.
> INTEL_
> NOTABLE_
- »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.
> BORDERS_
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.
> THE CAPITAL_
Jerusalem is Israel's declared capital and seat of government. Its status is disputed and most foreign embassies have historically been in Tel Aviv.
> SCALE_
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 FLAG_
The blue bands and white field are drawn from the tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl; the Star of David sits between them.