List of basic Israel topics

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Location of Israel
Location of Israel

Israel, officially known as the State of Israel, is a country in the Middle East and Southwest Asia located on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area.[1] The West Bank and Gaza Strip, which are partially administrated by the Palestinian National Authority, are also adjacent. With a population of about 7.2 million, the majority of whom are Jews, Israel is the world's only Jewish state.[2] It is also home to Arab Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Samaritan, as well as other religious and ethnic minority groups.

The modern state of Israel has its roots in the Land of Israel, a concept central to Judaism for over three thousand years. After World War I, the League of Nations approved the British Mandate of Palestine with the intent of creating a "national home for the Jewish people."[3] In 1947, the United Nations approved the partition of the Mandate of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab.[4] The Arab League rejected the plan, but on May 14, 1948, Israel declared its independence. The new country's victory in the subsequent Arab-Israeli War expanded the borders of the Jewish state beyond those in the UN Partition Plan. Since then, Israel has been in conflict with many of the neighboring Arab countries, resulting in several major wars and decades of violence until this day.[5] Since its foundation, Israel's boundaries and even the State's very right to exist have been subject to dispute, although Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, and efforts are being made to reach a permanent accord with the Palestinians.

Israel is a representative democracy with a parliamentary system and universal suffrage.[6][7] The Prime Minister serves as head of government and the Knesset serves as Israel's legislative body. In terms of nominal gross domestic product, the nation's economy is estimated as being the 44th-largest in the world;[8] Israel ranks the highiest among Middle Eastern countries on the bases of human development,[9] freedom of the press,[10] and economy.[11][12] Jerusalem is the country's capital, seat of government, and largest city, and Israel's main financial center encompasses Tel Aviv.


The following list of topics is provided as an overview of and introduction to Israel:

Israel Portal
Flag of Israel Flag of Israel
Flag of Israel
Coat of arms of Israel
Map of Israel and surrounding countries.
Map of Israel and surrounding countries.

Contents


[edit] Geography of Israel

Main article: Geography of Israel

[edit] Environment of Israel

Main article: Environment of Israel

[edit] Natural geographic features of Israel

Main article: Landforms of Israel

[edit] Regions of Israel

Main article: Regions of Israel

[edit] Ecoregions of Israel

Main article: Ecoregions of Israel

[edit] Administrative divisions of Israel

Main article: Administrative divisions of Israel
  • Districts of Israel (6)
    • Subdistricts of Israel (15)
      • Natural regions of Israel (50)
        • Municipalities of Israel

[edit] Districts of Israel
Main article: Districts of Israel

[edit] Subdistricts of Israel
Main article: Subdistricts of Israel

[edit] Natural regions of Israel
Main article: Natural regions of Israel

[edit] Municipalities of Israel
Main article: Municipalities of Israel

[edit] Demography of Israel

Main article: Demographics of Israel

[edit] Government and politics of Israel

Main article: Government of Israel and Politics of Israel


[edit] Branches of the government of Israel

Main article: Government of Israel

[edit] Executive branch of the government of Israel

[edit] Legislative branch of the government of Israel

[edit] Judicial branch of the government of Israel

Main article: Court system of Israel
  • Supreme Court of Israel
  • District Courts serves as the appellate courts and also serve as the court of first instance for some cases;
  • Magistrate Courts serves as the court of first instance

[edit] Foreign relations of Israel

Main article: Foreign relations of Israel

[edit] International organization membership

Main article: International organization membership of Israel

Israel is a member of:

[edit] Law and order in Israel

Main article: Law of Israel

[edit] Military of Israel

Main article: Military of Israel

[edit] Local government in Israel

Main article: Local government in Israel

[edit] History of Israel

Main article: History of Israel, Timeline of the history of Israel, and Current events of Israel

[edit] Culture of Israel

Main article: Culture of Israel

[edit] The Arts in Israel

[edit] Sports in Israel

Main article: Sports in Israel

[edit] Economy of Israel

Main article: Economy of Israel


  • Israel Stock Exchange

[edit] Education in Israel

Main article: Education in Israel

[edit] Infrastructure of Israel

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Skolnik 2007, pp. 132–232
  2. ^ Israel. Country Report. Freedom House (2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
  3. ^ The Palestine Mandate. The Avalon Project. Yale University (1922-07-24). Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
  4. ^ United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181. The Avalon Project. Yale University (1947-11-29). Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
  5. ^ Global Peace Index Rankings. http://www.visionofhumanity.com, In cooperation with the Economist Intelligence Unit (2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-08.
  6. ^ Rummel 1997, p. 257. "A current list of liberal democracies includes: Andorra, Argentina, ... , Cyprus, ... , Israel, ..."
  7. ^ Global Survey 2006: Middle East Progress Amid Global Gains in Freedom. Freedom House (2005-12-19). Retrieved on 2007-07-01.
  8. ^ Total GDP 2006 (pdf). The World Bank (2007-07-01). Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
  9. ^ Human Development Report 2006. United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
  10. ^ Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2007. Reporters Without Borders. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
  11. ^ Global Competitiveness Report 2006-2007. World Economic Forum (2007-02-14). Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
  12. ^ See Economic Freedom of the World article

[edit] External links

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