Israel is a country in which the influence of several cultures and religions is felt, and multilingual speech is heard on the streets. The Bible itself can tell a rich story that has developed over several millennia. And all because the occurring events leaves its mark on the geographical position of Israel. The greatness of this country is felt when visiting historical monuments and holy places saturated with an atmosphere of harmony and spirituality.
The article will consider the location and territory of Israel, its borders with other countries, geological and hydrographic data, as well as features of the local flora and fauna.
World map location
The State of Israel is located in a region of the world called the Middle East. This parliamentary republic is located in southwest Asia, on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. If you look at the world map, the exact coordinates of Israel are 34 ° 45 ′ east longitude and 31 ° 30 ′ north latitude.
Borders and Square
Israel is adjacent to several countries. At its northern borders - with Lebanon, in the north-eastern part - with Syria, in the south-west - with the Gaza Strip and Egypt, and in the east - with Jordan and the western territory of the Jordan River.
The length of land borders is approximately one thousand one hundred kilometers. More accurate data, oddly enough, has not been determined by the Israeli state. The fact is that to this day the country cannot regulate the official borders with Syria and Lebanon. Therefore, they are conditionally divided by the “fire crossing line” and the “blue line”.
The western borders of Israel are washed by the Mediterranean Sea, the southern part by the Red Sea, and the eastern region is bordered by the sacred river Jordan, in which Jesus was once baptized. The coastline is 273 kilometers long. Most of it falls on the Mediterranean Sea, and a very small proportion covers the Red Sea (only twelve kilometers).
The total area of Israel, including the territory of the Palestinian Authority, is 27,800 square kilometers. Moreover, 6,220 of them are occupied by Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, which were recaptured as a result of hostilities in 1967. In the east, part of the Dead Sea (approximately one thousand square kilometers) enters the territory of the Israeli state. It is a salt-free drainage lake with a maximum depth of 378 meters.
Territory of the state
The approximate area of Israel is twenty thousand square kilometers, of which more than four hundred are inland waters. The region of the country stretches from south to north, from the city of Eilat to the village of Metula, at 424 kilometers. From west to east, the narrowest point is 15 kilometers, and the widest reaches 114 kilometers.
To date, Israel has occupied 70 km² of East Jerusalem, 1,150 km² of Golan Heights and 5,879 km² of the west bank of the Jordan River. This arrangement leaves its mark on the life of the state, so it has its own language and currency features.
Israeli language
Today, the official languages in this state are Arabic and Hebrew. But also here they often speak Russian, English, German, Spanish and French.
Initially, the language of the Jewish people was Hebrew. It was believed that it was he who owned Adam and Eve. Most of the Old Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls were written in this dialect. All this time, the language of Israel has changed under the influence of neighboring countries. Therefore, its varieties appeared (for example, Western European, Yemeni, German and Muslim).
However, in the second century, Jews were persecuted by the Romans, and Hebrew lost its power as a spoken language. Until the end of the 19th century, religious poems and texts were only written on it, and then it completely became archaic. But after Hebrew, it was gradually revived at the initiative of the Zionist, who lived in the Russian Empire.
Israel money
Today, the official currency of the state is the new Israeli shekel. It equals one hundred agorots. If compared with other monetary units, then in shekel - 0.29 US dollars or 16.96 Russian rubles.
Currency was used in antiquity around the world. But then the shekel did not denote the value of the coin, but the weight of gold or silver, which were valued the most. In 1985, this currency depreciated a thousand times. Existing coins and banknotes changed their appearance and were designated by letters from the Hebrew alphabet. So there were new shekels. Today, Israeli money has an international code and is freely convertible into other currencies.
Administrative division
The state of Israel is divided into administrative regions called mekozotami. There are six of them: Central, Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv, North and South. In turn, the administrative areas are divided into fifteen subareas called nafotami. They can count fifty independent sub-districts.
The largest and youngest city in the Jerusalem area is Beit Shemesh. In Bible times, it ran from the Judean Mountains to Jerusalem. Tel Aviv is a commercial, industrial, cultural and business center of the capital. Haifa is considered the most picturesque place, which is located on the slope of the sacred mountain range Carmel.
By right, the center of Israel can be considered Jerusalem. In this holy place, the main events of the life of Christ took place. It is also the largest city in the state with an area of 126 square kilometers. Almost eight hundred thousand people live in Jerusalem. At the same time, the total population of Israel is about eight million.
Relief of israel
Two mountain ranges divide this country and as a result, three completely different regions of relief are obtained.
1. The rift valley. It is also often called the Jordanian in honor of the river flowing here. It is a unique hollow that belongs to the large geological fault of the Syrian-African zone. It includes the valley of the Jordan, Hula, Jezreel, the Depression of the Dead Sea and Wadi al-Arab, which is a link to the Red Sea.
2. Mountain zone. Extends from the Gulf of Eilat to the Lebanese Mountains. The area can also be divided into three parts. In the south, this is the highlands of the Negev desert, in the north - Galilee, and in the center - the Central Highlands, which includes Samaria, Judea and Shfela. If you pay attention to the features of the relief of Israel in this area, you can see that it rises hollow in the west, forming entire chains of hills about two hundred to four hundred meters high. In the eastern part of the country, the mountains are more abrupt and steep, some even reach 1.3 kilometers.
3. Seaside plain. It starts with a narrow strip from the Lebanese border and stretches to Egypt through the Negev desert. In turn, this area can be divided into three zones. In the north is the West Galilee coast and the Zvulun valley. In the south, part of the Primorsky zone is represented by the Mediterranean coast, which includes the Judean Plain and the Negev. In the central region are the Carmel Coast and the Saron Valley (Sharon).
Beyond the narrow sandy shore lies a strip of fertile land cultivated by local residents. That is why the majority of the population is concentrated in this territory of Israel. The main port settlements of Tel Aviv, Ashdod, Haifa and the main complex of the state’s agrarian and industrial potential are located on the Seaside Plain.
Geological structure
The territory of the country is mainly formed by Mesozoic rocks belonging to the Tertiary and Quaternary system. The most widespread are the Upper Cretaceous deposits, which are represented by dolomites, limestones and marls. Zoolites and sandstones are found on the Hillelei plateau and the coastal part. In the north there are colossal deposits of chalk, from which the grottoes of Rosh ha Nikra are formed. But the geography of Israel in the Jordan Valley is characterized by the accumulation of powerful alluvial formations.
Limestone layers are easily eroded by a large amount of local waters. Because of this, karst processes have been widely developed in these areas. There are many caves formed from water-soluble rocks in Israel. However, only one is open for visiting - Avshalom. There are also many small caves, formed naturally, which have historically been used as warehouses, places of shelters and gatherings of the population.
Soil of Israel
Israel’s unique geographic location has greatly affected the diversity of soil rocks. The western part of the country, consisting of the coast and mountain slopes, is rich in brown soils, which are characteristic of dry subtropical regions. On the territory of the eastern and central regions, mountain gray-brown earth is concentrated. In the south of the country, soil varieties of subtropical deserts are found.
In some areas of the northern Negev, a light yellow fertile loess is formed. In the coastal zone, the humus content varies from 0.75% to 2.4% at depth and on the surface, respectively. The soil of the southern Negev is composed of granite and sandstone, and the ground cover of Galilee is made of limestone. Soil cover is generally absent only in some desert and mountainous areas.
Hydrography
If you pay attention to where Israel is, you can see that it has a controversial hydrographic position. Fresh water reserves are estimated at 1800 million cubic meters per year. Of these, 1100 come from small springs and rivers, 320 from the Israeli region of Jordan, and 200 from the gutters of the Yarkon River.
Fresh water is also produced by wastewater treatment and seawater treatment. The main reservoir for the country is Lake Tiberias. From it, through Rosh-ha-Ain to Yarkon-Negev, there is a water supply system with a total length of about 250 kilometers.
In the west of the country, the rivers belong to the Mediterranean basin. There are not many of them, and in the hot season most of them just dry up. The eastern borders of Israel are closed. The most permanent river in the country is Jordan. Thanks to hydraulic equipment, it has a virtually unchanged flow. The exception is only short floods. Of great interest are Lake Kinneret. It is at least slightly salted, but still suitable for use, and rich in fish.
Climatic conditions
Israel is a fairly small country, but in it you can meet nine very different climatic zones, which depend on the location of the region. The mountainous regions are characterized by rather sultry summers and cold winters. The coastal areas are characterized by mild winters and humid summers. And in the Jordan Valley, mild and pleasant winters, but very hot and dry summers. Such diversity is explained by the difficult topography and desert in the eastern zone and the proximity of the sea on the western side.
The geographical position of Israel affects the weather. Basically, the country has a subtropical climate. Winter is quite cool and rainy. January air usually warms up to 9-22 degrees Celsius. An abundance of rain falls in December - February, snow rarely falls, and even then in the mountains.
Summer in Israel lasts from April to November. It is mostly dry and warm. The air warms up to 30-38 degrees. But because of the very different humidity in different regions, this temperature is perceived differently. A distinctive feature of the summer Israeli period is the sultry withering winds. Water in the Dead Sea, as a rule, warms up to 30 degrees in August and to 25 in February.
Flora
The nature of Israel is very diverse. Representatives of the Sahara-Arabian, Iran-Turan and Mediterranean regions meet here. The country's plants are represented by 2600 species, of which 150 can be found exclusively in Israel and nowhere else in the world.
Oak, pomegranate, fig, olive, cypress, laurel, sycamore, myrtle and carob are widespread. Locals love to plant eucalyptus, acacia and alpine pine in the forest zone. For landscaping urban areas use casuarina, pistachio, ficus, oleander and tamarisk. By the location of these plants, you can determine where Israel is located and its borders end.
Fauna
The wildlife of Israel is represented by 100 species of mammals, 500 species of birds and 100 species of reptiles. Previously, the fauna was richer. From these places the lion, the Syrian bear, the Nile crocodile, the gemsbok, the Berber ram, onager, fallow deer and eagle owl disappeared. But still there is a one-humped camel, a maned ram, a Nubian goat, a gazelle, antelope, wild boar and oryxes.
The wildlife of Israel is also represented by swamp and land turtles. Exclusively in the Alexander River, one can find Nile soft-skinned species. There are also Palestinian viper, efa, strangler, water snake, black snake and spotted pseudo-viper. In total, 30 species of snakes can be counted, of which 8 are poisonous.
The relative dryness of the climate limits the number of species of amphibians. They are represented by fire salamander, Asia Minor newt, chameleon, common tree frog, Syrian garlic and green toad.
In short, the geographical position of Israel opens up many opportunities for this country. Travelers especially like to go here because of the resorts of the Mediterranean, Dead and Red Seas.