About Israel
Whenever you travel to a new country it is advisable to obtain some information about your destination so that you are better prepared when you arrive. It is for this reason that we have provided a general outline of Israel for you below.
Please be advised that this information is meant for reference purposes only, and all data contained on this page may change without prior warning. For more up to date information about Israel, please consult a travel expert before you depart.
Official Name: State of Israel /Medinat Yisra'el
Capital: Jerusalem, “complete and united”, is the capital city of Israel, according to an Israeli law of July 30th 1980, but the controversial status of some parts of Jerusalem led to a non-binding UN security resolution being passed on August 20th 1980 that the law be rescinded and that UN members should withdraw their diplomatic missions from Jerusalem. As a result, no country maintains an embassy in Jerusalem proper, and most countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel, including the US, maintain their official embassies in Tel Aviv, which is also the country’s main financial centre. For more information see our list of embassies in Israel.
Location: On the coast at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, with Lebanon to its north and Egypt to the south.
Size: 21,000 sq km approx.
Climate: Israel has a temperate mediterranean climate overall, but is hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas, and desertification is a threat. Sandstorms may occur in spring and summer, there are sometimes droughts and periodic earthquakes.
Population: around 7,112,000
Life expectancy at birth: 80.61 years
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: Around 0.1%; Israel has approximately 3,000 people living with HIV/AIDS
Illnesses: West Nile Virus is found in Israel; take precautions against insect bites.
On 3 January 2007, the H5N1 strain of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) was found in a kindergarten in Binyamina (about 50km North East of Tel Aviv). Measures were taken to prevent the virus spreading and no human infections or deaths have been reported in Israel or the Occupied Territories. Nonetheless, it is a good idea to avoid all contact with birds, either poultry or wild animals.
Ethnic Groups: 76% Jewish, 19% Arab, 5% minority groups
Languages: Hebrew and Arabic are the country’s official languages. English and Russian are also widely spoken
Religions : Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, other 3.9%
Government: Israel is a democratic country with universal suffrage and a single tier 120 seat parliament called the Knesset, membership of which is based on system of proportional representation for political parties. The Prime Minister is the head of the cabinet and the government, The President, whose duties are largely ceremonial, is the official head of state.
Head of State: President Shimon Peres (since 15 July 2007)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (since May 2006)
Military: Israel’s military consists of the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Naval Forces and the Israel Air Force. Military service for both sexes from the age of 18 is compulsory for all Jews and Druze (apart from those in the Golan) and voluntary for others (Christians, Muslims, Circassians etc.); Enlisted men serve 36 months, women 21 months, and officers 48 months, with a reserve obligation afterwards to age 41-51 (men) or 24 (women). Yeshiva students are exempt from military service and others who are exempted can do national service in schools, hospitals and so on. The IDF maintains approximately 168,000 active troops and 408,000 reservists.
Economy: Israel has a free market economy, with substantial government participation. It has free trade agreements with the European Union and the United States, as well as with several other countries, and the US is the Israel’s main trading partner, as well as giving it a substantial amount of aid. The country is technologically advanced, and its high-tech industry sector is well developed. Despite having mostly poor quality agricultural land, Israel is self-sufficient in so far as most food is grown within the country, although it does import large amounts of grain. This is partly due to the requirements of Kashrut, which is to say the need for food to be Kosher. The agricultural sector has been intensively developed, and the country is a world leader in areas such as water-conservation and environmental management. Diamond cutting is also an important industry in Israel. The economy continues to grow regardless of wars and terrorism, with an impressive and rising amount of foreign investment in recent years, and the technical expertise of the country’s population, many of whom are immigrants, can in the future only help it expand in the technological sectors where it is already a leader.
GDP: Purchasing power parity approx. $185.9 billion; Official exchange rate approx. $161.9 billion
For more information about Israel, the international health insurance plans that we can offer there, or to receive a free quote, please contact one of our expert advisers today.