Israel (country), republic in the Middle East, formally known as the State of Israel (in Hebrew, Medinat Yisra’el) and established in 1948. Israel is on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and bordered to the north by Lebanon, to the north-east by Syria, to the east by Jordan, and to the south-west by Egypt. Its southernmost tip extends to the Gulf of Aqaba, an arm of the Red Sea; Israel’s area is 21,946 sq km (8,473 sq mi).
POPULATION
Israel has a population of 6,199,008 (2004 estimate), including East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and Israeli settlers in the occupied areas. In 1996 there were around 200,000 Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem, 140,000 in Gaza and the West Bank, and 13,000 in the Golan Heights. The overall population density is about 305 people per sq km (790 per sq mi). Non-Jews amount to about 19 per cent of the total population, of which Muslims (14.5 per cent) form a majority; Christians (2.8 per cent) and Druze (1.7 per cent) compose most of the remaining population.
LANGUAGE
Hebrew and Standard Arabic are the official languages. Standard Arabic is a second language learnt in schools and used for official purposes, while more popular forms of Arabic, including South Levantine Spoken and Judaeo-Moroccan Arabic, are used in daily interaction by some. The most widely spoken language is Hebrew, a mother tongue for about 80 per cent of the population and a second language for the remainder. English is a first language for around 100,000 Israelis, and many other languages, from the Indo-European, Altaic, and Afro-Asiatic families, are spoken by minorities including Russian, Eastern Yiddish, Romanian, Ladino, and Dzhidi.
RELIGION
The affairs of the three major religions, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, are overseen by the ministry of religious affairs through councils established by the various religions. Jewish holy days and the sabbath are, by law, observed throughout the country, and only kosher food is served in the army, hospitals, and other official institutions. About 82 per cent of Israel’s Arabs are Muslim, and most of the rest are Christian and Druze.
POPULATION
Israel has a population of 6,199,008 (2004 estimate), including East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and Israeli settlers in the occupied areas. In 1996 there were around 200,000 Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem, 140,000 in Gaza and the West Bank, and 13,000 in the Golan Heights. The overall population density is about 305 people per sq km (790 per sq mi). Non-Jews amount to about 19 per cent of the total population, of which Muslims (14.5 per cent) form a majority; Christians (2.8 per cent) and Druze (1.7 per cent) compose most of the remaining population.
LANGUAGE
Hebrew and Standard Arabic are the official languages. Standard Arabic is a second language learnt in schools and used for official purposes, while more popular forms of Arabic, including South Levantine Spoken and Judaeo-Moroccan Arabic, are used in daily interaction by some. The most widely spoken language is Hebrew, a mother tongue for about 80 per cent of the population and a second language for the remainder. English is a first language for around 100,000 Israelis, and many other languages, from the Indo-European, Altaic, and Afro-Asiatic families, are spoken by minorities including Russian, Eastern Yiddish, Romanian, Ladino, and Dzhidi.
RELIGION
The affairs of the three major religions, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, are overseen by the ministry of religious affairs through councils established by the various religions. Jewish holy days and the sabbath are, by law, observed throughout the country, and only kosher food is served in the army, hospitals, and other official institutions. About 82 per cent of Israel’s Arabs are Muslim, and most of the rest are Christian and Druze.
No comments:
Post a Comment