Source: Wikipedia
Flag of Israel
Capital: Jerusalem 31°47′N 35°13′E
Largest city: Jerusalem
Official language: Hebrew, Arabic
Government: Parliamentary democracy
President: Moshe Katsav

Prime Minister: Ehud Olmert
Independence From the United Kingdom
Declaration: 14 May 1948 (05 Iyar 5708)
Area: Total 22,1451 km² (151th);8,5501 sq mi
Water: (%) ~2
Population: May 2006 estimate 7,047,0012 (99th)
- 1995 census 5,548,523
- Density 324/km² (34th) 787/sq mi

GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate
- Total $163.45 billion (53rd)
- Per capita $23,416 (28th)
HDI (2006) 0.927 (high) (23rd)

Currency: New Israeli sheqel (₪) (ILS)

Time zone: IST (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST) (UTC+3)
Internet TLD: .il
Calling code: +972

 

Medinat Yisra'el; Arabic: دَوْلَةْ إِسْرَائِيل‎, Dawlat Isrā'īl), officially the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia on the southeastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Lebanon in the north, Syria and Jordan in the east, and Egypt in the south-west and has a population of over seven million people.

Proclaimed independence in 1948, Israel is the world's only Jewish state, although its population includes citizens of many ethnic and religious backgrounds. (See also Israelis.) According to the international data reported by Freedom House, the degree of political rights and civil liberties in Israel makes it the only liberal democracy in the Middle East, consisting of a multi-party system and separation of powers.Israel has a vibrant cultural life and a technologically and industrially advanced economy. Israel was ranked 23rd out of 177 countries in the 2006 United Nations Human Development Index, the highest ranking in the Middle East and 3rd highest in all of Asia.