Location: Middle East, bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon

Map references: Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area: 20,770 sq km
land area: 20,330 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than New Jersey

Land boundaries: total 1,006 km, Egypt 255 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km

Coastline: 273 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: separated from Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank by the 1949 Armistice Line; differences with Jordan over the location of the 1949 Armistice Line that separates the two countries; the Gaza Strip and Jericho, formerly occupied by Israel, are now administered by the Palestinian Authority; other areas of the West Bank outside Jericho are Israeli occupied; Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; water-sharing issues with Jordan

Climate: temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

Terrain: Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley

Natural resources: copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, asphalt, manganese, small amounts of natural gas and crude oil

Land use:
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 5%
meadows and pastures: 40%
forest and woodland: 6%
other: 32%

Irrigated land: 2,140 sq km (1989)

Environment:
current issues: limited arable land and freshwater resources pose serious constraints; deforestation; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
natural hazards: sandstorms may occur during spring and summer
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation

Note: there are 200 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 40 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 24 in the Gaza Strip, and 25 in East Jerusalem (April 1994)

NOTE: The information regarding Israel on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Israel Geography 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Israel Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.