| Location | Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon |
| Geographic coordinates | 31 30 N, 34 45 E |
| Map references | Middle East |
| Area | total: 21,937 sq km land: 21,497 sq km water: 440 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than New Jersey |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,068 km border countries (6): Egypt 208 km, Gaza Strip 59 km, Jordan 327 km (20 km are within the Dead Sea), Lebanon 81 km, Syria 83 km, West Bank 330 km |
| Coastline | 273 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: to depth of exploitation |
| Climate | temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas |
| Terrain | Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Mitspe Shlagim 2,224 m; note - this is the highest named point, the actual highest point is an unnamed dome slightly to the west of Mitspe Shlagim at 2,236 m; both points are on the northeastern border of Israel, along the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range lowest point: Dead Sea -431 m mean elevation: 508 m note - does not include elevation data from the Golan Heights |
| Natural resources | timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand |
| Land use | agricultural land: 23.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 13.7% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 3.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 6.3% (2018 est.) forest: 7.1% (2018 est.) other: 69.1% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 2,250 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 1.78 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes |
| Geography - note | note 1: Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) is an important freshwater source; the Dead Sea is the second saltiest body of water in the world (after Lake Assal in Djibouti) note 2: the Malham Cave in Mount Sodom is the world's longest salt cave at 10 km (6 mi); its survey is not complete and its length will undoubtedly increase; Mount Sodom is actually a hill some 220 m (722 ft) high that is 80% salt (multiple salt layers covered by a veneer of rock) note 3: in March 2019, there were 380 Israeli settlements,to include 213 settlements and 132 outposts in the West Bank, and 35 settlements in East Jerusalem; there are no Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, as all were evacuated in 2005 (2019) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
