| Culture
Israel Country & Its People
 Israel is an extraordinary land of incomparable beauty, with a rich and varied history that spans thousands of years. Although slightly smaller in size than New Jersey, Israel boasts an astoundingly diverse geography, characterized by lush northern valleys, low coastal plains spotted with magnificent beaches, and central mountains that lead into the scoured and windswept sands of the Negev Desert. The Mediterranean climate yields long, arid summers, and brief, crisp winters.
Israel guards a myriad of unspoiled wonders, including the Maktesh Ramon, a naturally formed crater molded by erosion and pressure; Mushroom Rock, a comically fungi-shaped formation located in Timna National Park; the Jordan River; and, of course, the Dead Sea. Situated at nearly 1,300 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea not only occupies the lowest point on the surface of the earth, but it also measures a higher saline concentration than any ocean by over seven times.
In addition to the natural splendor that has enticed visitors for millennia, Israel's location between Africa and Asia has made it a convenient stop for traders and explorers. Until the 2nd millennium B.C.E., the land was mainly occupied by nomads grazing their herds and farmers tending small crops. The Babylonians and the Egyptians came soon afterwards and established trade routes, importing foreign goods and customs into local culture. The increased commerce proved that the land was both strategically positioned and quite valuable, thus giving rise to a cycle of competing factions striving to manipulate the economy.
 First to come to power were the Egyptians; they were replaced by the invading Philistines in 1200 B.C.E. The Philistines established a powerful kingdom, subjecting the Hebrew tribes to their rule until circa 1000 B.C.E, when the Hebrews surmounted the Philistines and established an independent kingdom of their own. Under Kings Saul and David, the monarchy flourished; later it fractured into two weaker kingdoms: Israel and Judah. Both kingdoms were eventually conquered by the Assyrians and the Babylonians, respectively, between two and four hundred years later. By the middle of the 6th century B.C.E. the Persians had asserted their influence over the region now referred to as Palestine. Alexander the Great of Macedon vanquished the Persians in 333 B.C.E. and, following his conquest, the Ptolemies and Seleucids bid for control. In 63 B.C.E., the Romans overtook Palestine and controlled it until the middle of the 7th century C.E. During this time, Jesus of Nazareth took up his ministry. The consequences of his influence would only be realized on a grand scale during the 4th century, when the Byzantine Empire converted to Christianity. From that point forward, Jerusalem would be the center of Christian pilgrimage.
In 638, Jerusalem was captured by the Muslim Caliph, Umar I, and a period of Muslim domination began. Between 687 and 691, Umar's successor would build the Dome of the Rock, said to mark the site of the Prophet Mohammed's ascendance. Designed by Byzantine architects employed by the Caliph, the edifice was the greatest monumental building in early Islamic history. The dome is over 60 feet high, 30 feet in diameter, and its lead supporting structure was originally covered in pure gold. (the real gold was removed over the centuries and the dome is now made of anodized aluminum). Interestingly, the Dome of the Rock is not a mosque for public worship but rather a mashhad, a shrine for pilgrims.
 Palestine fell under Ottoman control in the sixteenth century and remained under their rule until the early 20th century, when Great Britain received it as a mandate from the League of Nations following World War I. For the next two decades, the fate of Palestine was uncertain. Both Jews and Arabs appealed for their own respective sovereign states, but no proposal satisfied all parties. Through World War II the situation intensified, and as European Jews sought asylum from the atrocities in Europe, pressure to come to an agreement increased. In 1947, the Jews accepted a plan. The Palestinians felt that the plan did not accommodate their needs, and they rejected it. As neither side could arbiter an agreement, they prepared for war. In May, 1948, as the British High Commissioner departed, the State of Israel was declared at Tel Aviv, and war between the new Israeli state and the Arabs ensued. By the time all parties called a truce, Israel's land holdings increased dramatically, and a Jewish government was established.
Today, the situation in Israel remains tense. It seems neither side can agree on anything--except their love of the land. The many diverse ethnic groups that live in Israel uphold traditions that go back thousands of years. And when the sun is setting over the Old City, and a blissful hum blows in like a gentle breeze as Christian, Muslim, and Jew meditate and pray, it is no mystery why they love it as they do. |
 Population: 5,842,454
note: includes about 171,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, about 6,500 in the Gaza Strip, and about 172,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 28% (male 825,443; female 787,159)
15-64 years: 63% (male 1,831,142; female 1,820,424)
65 years and over: 9% (male 248,695; female 329,591) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.67% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 19.32 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 6.22 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.57 years
male: 76.57 years
female: 80.67 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Israeli(s)
adjective: Israeli
Ethnic groups: Jewish 80.1% (Europe/America-born 32.1%, Israel-born 20.8%, Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish 19.9% (mostly Arab) (1996 est.)
Religions: Jewish 80.1%, Muslim 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian 2.1%, other 3.2% (1996 est.)
Languages: Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95%
male: 97%
female: 93% (1992 est.) |
