Israel: Background & Geography
| Introduction | Israel |
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Background:
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Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In addition, on 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives (from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip) and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. On 24 June 2002, US President Bush laid out a "road map" for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which envisions a two-state solution. However, progress toward a permanent status agreement has been undermined by the outbreak of Palestinian-Israeli violence since September 2000. |
| Geography | Israel |
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Location:
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Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon |
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Geographic coordinates:
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31 30 N, 34 45 E |
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Map references:
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Middle East |
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Area:
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total: 20,770 sq km
water: 440 sq km land: 20,330 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than New Jersey |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,017 km
border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km |
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Coastline:
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273 km |
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Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
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territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation |
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Climate:
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temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas |
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Terrain:
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Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m |
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Natural resources:
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timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand |
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Land use:
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arable land: 17.02%
permanent crops: 4.17% other: 78.81% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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1,990 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes |
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Environment - current issues:
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limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation |
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Geography - note:
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there are 242 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 25 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (February 2002 est.); Sea of Galilee is an important freshwater source |