Outline of Israel

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The location of Israel
File:Un-israel.png
An enlargeable map of Israel

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Israel:

Israelsovereign state located along the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea in Southwest Asia, an area known historically in the Western World as the Near East or Middle East.[1] It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area.[2] The West Bank, which is partially administrated by the Palestinian National Authority, and the Hamas-reigned Gaza Strip are also adjacent. With a population of about 8.1 million,[3] the majority of whom are Jews, Israel is the world's only Jewish state.[4] It is also home to Arab Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Samaritans, as well as other religious and ethnic minority groups.

The modern state of Israel has its roots in the Land of Israel, a concept central to Judaism for over three thousand years. After World War I, the League of Nations approved the British Mandate of Palestine with the intent of creating a "national home for the Jewish people."[5] In 1947, the United Nations approved the partition of the Mandate of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab.[6] The Arab League rejected the plan, but on May 14, 1948, Israel declared its independence. The new country's victory in the subsequent Arab-Israeli War expanded the borders of the Jewish state beyond those in the UN Partition Plan. Since then, Israel has been in conflict with many of the neighboring Arab countries, resulting in several major wars and decades of violence until this day.[7] Since its foundation, Israel's boundaries and even the State's very right to exist have been subject to dispute, although Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, and efforts are being made to reach a permanent accord with the Palestinians.

Israel is a representative democracy with a parliamentary system and universal suffrage.[8][9] The Prime Minister serves as head of government and the Knesset serves as Israel's legislative body. In terms of nominal gross domestic product, the nation's economy is estimated as being the 44th-largest in the world;[10] Israel ranks the highiest among Middle Eastern countries on the basis of human development,[11] freedom of the press,[12] and economy.[13][14] Jerusalem is the country's capital, seat of government, and largest city, and Israel's main financial center encompasses Tel Aviv.

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General reference

Geography of Israel

An enlargeable topographic map of Israel

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Environment of Israel

An enlargeable satellite image of Israel and surrounding areas

Natural geographic features of Israel

Regions of Israel

Ecoregions of Israel

Administrative divisions of Israel

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  • Districts of Israel (6)
    • Subdistricts of Israel (15)
      • Natural regions of Israel (50)
        • Municipalities of Israel
Districts of Israel

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Subdistricts of Israel
Natural regions of Israel
Municipalities of Israel

Demography of Israel

Main article: Demographics of Israel

Government and politics of Israel

Main article: Politics of Israel

Branches of the government of Israel

Executive branch of the government of Israel

Legislative branch of the government of Israel

Judicial branch of the government of Israel

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  • The Supreme Court of Israel serves as an appellate court, High Court of Justice and constitutional court
  • District Courts serve as appellate courts and also serve as courts of first instance for some cases
  • Magistrate Courts serve as the court of first instance; some magistrate courts deal with specific affairs
  • Separate systems, which include religious courts, military courts, labor courts

Foreign relations of Israel

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International organization membership

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Israel is a member of:[1]

Law and order in Israel

Main article: Law of Israel

Military of Israel

Main article: Israel Defense Forces

Local government in Israel

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History of Israel

Main article: History of Israel and Current events of Israel

Years in Israel

Culture of Israel

Main article: Culture of Israel

Art in Israel

Sports in Israel

Main article: Sports in Israel

Economy and infrastructure of Israel

Main article: Economy of Israel

Education in Israel

Main article: Education in Israel

See also

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References

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  2. Skolnik 2007, pp. 132–232
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  8. Rummel 1997, p. 257. "A current list of liberal democracies includes: Andorra, Argentina, ... , Cyprus, ... , Israel, ..."
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  14. See Economic Freedom of the World article
  15. Source: Israel Central Bureau of Statistics [1]. Note: Includes over 200,000 people in East Jerusalem, about 270,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and about 20,000 in the Golan Heights (July 2007 estimate)

External links

Wikimedia Atlas of Israel

Government
General reference
Media
Other