Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 10:45, 5 March 2005

This article describes the geography of Israel.

Location

Southwest Asia, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon

Geographic coordinates

31° 30′ N, 34° 45′ E

Map references

Southwest Asia

Area

• Total: 20,770 km²
• Land: 20,330 km²
• Water: 440 km²

Land boundaries

• Total: 1,017 km
• Border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km

Coastline

273 km

Maritime claims

• Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
• Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate

Temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

Terrain

Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Great Rift Valley

Elevation extremes

• Lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
• Highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m

Natural resources

Copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, asphalt, manganese, small amounts of natural gas and crude oil

Land use

• Arable land: 17.02%
• Permanent crops: 4.17%
• Other: 78.81% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land

1,990 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards

Sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes

Environment--current issues

Limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides

Environment--international agreements

• Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
• Signed, but not ratified: Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation

Geography--note

There are 242 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 25 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (February 2002 est.); Sea of Galilee is an important freshwater source

Other geographic features

• Dead Sea
• Galilee
• Mount Arbel
• Jordan River
• Hahula Lake
• Masada
• Mount Carmel
• Negev
• Sea of Galilee
• Sharon
• List of cities in Israel

• Geography by country