Geography
Israel
Area
land
21,497 sq km
water
440 sq km
total
21,937 sq km
Climate
temperate; characterized by hot and arid conditions in the southern and eastern desert regions
Terrain
Negev Desert located in the southern region; low coastal plains; central mountain ranges; Jordan Rift Valley
Land use
other
68.5% (2023 est.)
forest
6.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
24.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 12.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 4.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 7.6% (2023 est.)
Location
Middle East, situated along the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
Coastline
273 km
Elevation
lowest point
Dead Sea -431 m
highest point
Mitspe Shlagim at 2,224 m; note - this is the highest named elevation, while the true highest point is an unnamed dome slightly west of Mitspe Shlagim at 2,236 m; both elevations are found on Israel's northeastern border, at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range
mean elevation
508 m
Irrigated land
1,927 sq km (2022)
Map references
Middle East
Land boundaries
total
1,068 km
border countries
Egypt 208 km; Gaza Strip 59 km; Jordan 327 km (with 20 km within the Dead Sea); Lebanon 81 km; Syria 83 km; West Bank 330 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
to depth of exploitation
Natural hazards
sandstorms may arise in the spring and summer; occurrences of drought; occasional earthquakes
Geography - note
note 1: Lake Tiberias (also known as the Sea of Galilee) serves as a vital freshwater resource; the Dead Sea ranks as the second most saline body of water worldwide (following Lake Assal in Djibouti)
note 2: the Malham Cave in Mount Sodom holds the title of the longest salt cave globally at 10 km (6 mi); Mount Sodom itself is a hill approximately 220 m (722 ft) tall, composed of 80% salt, layered with multiple salt deposits and capped with a rock layer
Natural resources
timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
Area - comparative
marginally larger than New Jersey
Geographic coordinates
31 30 N, 34 45 E
Population distribution
the population is predominantly found in and around Tel-Aviv and near the Sea of Galilee; the southern region remains sparsely populated, except for the Gulf of Aqaba's coastline
Major lakes (area sq km)
salt water lake(s)
Dead Sea (shared with Jordan and West Bank) - 1,020 sq km
note - an endorheic hypersaline lake; possesses a salinity that is 9.6 times that of ocean water; the lake's shoreline is 431 meters below sea level