Location:
Middle East, west of Jordan, east of Israel

Geographic coordinates:
32 00 N, 35 15 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 5,860 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 5,640 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 220 sq km
note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data): 172

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries:
total: 478 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (2): Israel 330 km, Jordan 148 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters

Terrain:
mostly rugged, dissected upland in west, flat plains descending to Jordan River Valley to the east

Elevation:
lowest point: Dead Sea -431 m
highest point: Khallat al Batrakh 1,020 m

Natural resources:
arable land

Land use:
agricultural land: 43.3% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 7.4% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 11% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 24.9% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 1.5% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 55.2% (2011 est.)
note: includes Gaza Strip
[see also: Land use country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
240 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population distribution:
Palestinian settlements are primarily located in the central to western half of the territory; Jewish settlements are found in pockets throughout, particularly in the northeast, north-central, and around Jerusalem

Natural hazards:
droughts

Environment - current issues:
adequacy of freshwater supply; sewage treatment

Geography - note:
landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are about 380 Israeli civilian sites, including about 213 settlements and 132 small outpost communities in the West Bank and 35 sites in East Jerusalem (2017)