Israel

The State of Israel is located on the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Lebanon on the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank to the east, and Egypt and the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip to the west. Its capital is Jerusalem, with Tel Aviv the hub of economic and technical activity. Ethnically, the population is approximately 75% Jewish and 21% Arabic, with a relatively small percentage of other ethnicities. Defined by law as a Jewish and democratic state, Israel is a liberal parliamentary democracy with proportional representation and universal suffrage. Its official language is Hebrew, with Arabic a recognized language.

The territory of modern Israel and the surrounding region has been settled since prehistoric times, and ...