Trivia Some facts about Israel

You will find here some general facts about Israel. If you have other questions about Israel dont
hesitate to contact us ;)
Population
How many people live in Israel?
Although well known around the world, Israel has a relatively small population of only 7.5
million citizens (placed 97th in the list of countries by population).
Which is the most populated city in Israel?
That would be our capital, Jerusalem, with 770,000 citizens. Jerusalem is also famous for being
sacred to the most popular religions: Jews, Muslims and Christians.
Which is the coolest city in Israel?
Well, no doubt about this one Tel Aviv is one of the most fun Israeli cities, it is known for its wild
nightlife, beautiful beaches, fancy restaurants, and wide variety of cultural opportunities. It is also the
financial center of Israel, and happens to be the first Jewish city in Israel. Tel Aviv is the
2ndlargest city, with about 400,000 citizens.
Geography
How big is Israel?
Not too big 20,770 Km (8,019 sq mi)
How long is Israel?
The distance between the most northern point and the most southern one is 461 Km, and it would
take you about 6 hours to drive the distance. On the other hand it would take less than 1 hour drive to
travel the widest part of the country, and almost 15 minutes in the narrowest part (which is in the city
of Eilat).
Who are the neighbors?

Issues that are well known about Israel are the complexity of the politics and the security problems
which are mostly due to its location in the controversial Middle East. Israel shares its borders with:
In

the

north

In

the

northeast

In

the

Lebanon
Syria

east

Jordan

In the southwest Egypt

How is the weather?
Although not too big, Israel offers a variety of climates from a hot desert in the south to a snowy peak
(well, most of the year) in the north. However, mostly, Israel has a typical Mediterranean climate
with

cool,

rainy

Spring

Summer

Autumn

winters

and

long,

hot

March

to

June

May

to

September

summers.

September

to

November

Winter November to March

What is the time?
Israel time zone is GMT+2.
Language
What is the Israelis language?
The official language is Hebrew, which is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family.
Hebrew

is

written

from

right

to

left

using

the

Hebrew

alphabet.

The Arab population in Israel speaks Arabic as their first language.

What languages do Israelis speak other than Hebrew?
Most Israelis you will meet probably have very good English. Besides the fact that this is the second
language thought as of the 4th grade, most employers in Israel require English as a prerequisite.
In addition, being a melting pot for immigrants from all over the world, many Israelis can speak their
mother tongue which may be Russian, Moroccan, Amharic and more.
Economy
What is the Israeli currency?

It is called New Israeli Shekel (NIS).

How much is a NIS?
The exchange rate of 1 $ is about 3.7 NIS.
How expensive is Israel?
Thatdependsonwhatyourebuying
A local beer in a bar would cost you 20NIS, a two bedrooms apartment rent would cost 3,500NIS (in
Tel Aviv it can get up to 6,000NIS), while the average salary is about 7,000NIS.
History
When

did

Israel

get

its

independence?

It happened in 1947, when the UN voted for an independent Israeli country. Just before that, the area
was under British Mandate control.

Israel: Mining, Minerals and Fuel Resources

Have we missed some critical information from this article? Are you a company, organisation
or research group operating in this region and feel you warrant inclusion on this page? Also
please feel free to help us keep this page up to date with the latest developments or
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back to you.
By G.P. Thomas

Topics Covered
Welcome to Israel
Overview of Resources
Metals
Industrial Minerals and Gemstones
Fossil Fuels
Investment
Sources

Welcome to Israel

The national flag of Israel.

Image Credit: CIA Factbook

Israel is located between Lebanon and Egypt bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The total
area of the country is 20,770 km2, and it has a population of 7,590,758 as of July 2012. The
countrys climate is mostly temperate.
Israeli-Palestine tensions have marred this nations progress to a certain level. However,
Israel has a very technologically advanced market economy coupled with significant inflow
of foreign investments has maintained the progress of the nation. The GDP of the country
was $238.2 billion in 2011.

The natural resources of Israel include potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock,
magnesium bromide, clays, and sand. Cut diamonds are among the leading exports of the
country. The country is dependent on crude oil and raw material imports. The discovery of
natural gas fields near the coast of Israel in the past two years has begun to transform the
nations energy prospect in a big way.

Overview of Resources
In 2010, the mining sector of Israel contributed to the worlds production of magnesium
metal (4%), bromine (34%), phosphate rock (2%), polished diamond (9%), and potash
(6%). Israel was also a leading producer of various types of fertilizer.
The Leviathan gas field is one of the largest offshore natural gas discoveries in recent times.
The majority of Israels mining and mineral processing operations is privately owned.

The national map of Israel. Image Credit: CIA Factbook

Metals

Dead Sea Magnesium Ltd., a subsidiary of Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICL), is a producer of
magnesium metal and magnesium alloys. In 2010, magnesium metal production increased
to 23,309 Mt in 2010 from 19,405 t in 2009.
Altos Hornos de Mxico S.A. de C.V. (AHMSA) planned to produce 22,000 Mt/yr of refined
copper in 2011 after the completion of the new extraction and electrowinning plant.

Industrial Minerals and Gemstones

Although Israel is not involved in the production of rough diamond, the country has a
globally recognized huge market for diamond cutting and trading. Its diamond cutting and
polishing companies specialize in large, high-value gemstones as well. In 2010, exports of
cut and polished diamond increased to $5.8 billion from $3.9 billion in 2009. Israel exported
a majority of its cut and polished diamond to the U.S.
Dead Sea Bromine Group (DSBG), a subsidiary of ICL, was involved in the extraction of
brines and carnallite from the Dead Sea in 2010. Due to the increase in global demands for
bromine, the production of bromine in Israel quickly increased to 184,696 t in 2010 from
127,689 t in 2009.
The countrys sulfur requirements are met by imports mainly from Germany, Kazakhstan,
Canada, and Russia. Israels development has been largely due to the building and road
construction sector. This sector uses a great deal of the raw materials such as gravel, sand
and limestone that are mined and quarried in the country.

Fossil Fuels
Samedan Mediterranean Sea Inc., a subsidiary of Noble Energy Inc. of the U.S., operates
the Mari-B offshore gasfield in the Mediterranean Sea. In 2010, the companys production of
dry natural gas increased to 1.34 billion m3 from 1.18 billion m3 in 2009.
In 2010, Noble had discovered the Leviathan prospect with 450 billion m3 and the previous
year it had discovered the Tamar prospect with nearly 240 billion m3 reserves.
Similarly, Bontan Corp. revealed that its Mira and the Sarah offshore prospects had 120 and
42 billion m3, respectively.
In 2010, two companies of Canada, Zion Oil & Gas Inc. of the U.S. and Adira Energy Ltd.,
began drilling operations at onshore Joseph license and onshore Eitan license, respectively.

Investment
The government of Israel is keen to promote its mining sector and ensure a secure
environment for investment.
The Mining Unit of Israel headed by the Controller of Mines is responsible for the following:

Ensuring orderly supply of raw material to the building and road construction
industries around the country

Ensuring that quarry activity is consistent with the relevant laws and regulations

Taking action against illegal mining and quarrying.

The government has initiated a Quarry Rehabilitation Fund to rehabilitate abandoned

quarries so that it can serve other purposes.
This month the government of Israel has stopped a takeover bid by PotashCorp of
Saskatchewan, Canada. PotashCorp was ready to buy Israel Chemicals Limited for $15
billion earlier this year. The government feels that ICLs location near the Dead Sea is ideal
and hence it is a strategic national asset. Experts observe this as an example of increasing
resource nationalism in Israel, which is seen in many parts of the world, where governments
block foreign efforts to buy mining, oil, gas or agribusiness companies.
Experts claim that Israels natural gas production is likely to increase in the coming years
with its domestic consumption predicted to double by 2015. However, export of natural gas
is not likely as Asia has already captured most of the market and the demand in Europe has
decreased.
The mineral sector of Israel has positive prospects given that the strength of the countrys
economy and global market trends remain stable.
Disclaimer: The Author of this article does not imply any investment recommendation and
some content is speculative in nature. The Author is not affiliated in any way with any
companies mentioned and all statistical information is publically available.

ECONOEEEC Israel
Geography
The geography of Israel is very diverse, with desert conditions in the south, and snow-capped mountains
in the north. Israel is located at 3130N 3445E / 31.500N 34.750E at the eastern end of the
Mediterranean Sea in western Asia.
Area: 20,770 km
Continent: Asia
Neighboring countries: Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan

Natural resources
Unlike much of the Middle East which is rich in lucrative crude oil, Israel has limited natural
resources. These include copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, asphalt,
and manganese. Small amounts of natural gas andcrude oil are present, often too little to merit
commercial extraction. In 2009, significant reserves of natural gas were discovered at the Tamar 1
offshore drilling site, 90 kilometers west of Haifa. It is the largest natural gas reserve ever discovered
in Israel.

Environmental concerns[edit]

Ashdod dunes

Formerly polluted Kishon River after clean-up, 2010

Israel has a large number of environmental concerns ranging from natural hazards to man-made
issues both resulting from ancient times to modern development. Natural hazards facing the country
include sandstorms which sometimes occur during spring in the desert south, droughts which are
usually concentrated in summer months, flash floods which create great danger in the deserts due to
their lack of notice, and regular earthquakes,most of which are small, although there is a constant
risk due to Israel's location along the Jordan Rift Valley.[1] Current environmental concerns include
the lack of arable land and natural fresh water resources. Whilst measures have been taken to
irrigate and grow in the desert, the amount of water needed here poses issues. Desertification is
also a risk possible on the desert fringe, whilst air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions
andgroundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste are also issues facing the country.
[1]

Furthermore, the effects of the use of chemical fertilizers, and pesticidesare issues facing the

country.[1] Israel has signed many international environmental agreements and is party to: [1]

Climate[edit]

Israel map of Kppen climate classification.

Snow in Jerusalem

Flash flood at Ein Avdat

Israel has a Mediterranean climate with long, hot, rainless summers and relatively short, cool, rainy
winters .The climate is as such due to Israel's location between the subtropical aridity of
the Sahara and the Arabian deserts, and the subtropical humidity of the Levant and Eastern
Mediterranean.[32] The climate conditions are highly variable within the state and modified locally by
altitude, latitude, and the proximity to the Mediterranean

Location and boundaries[

Israel on the world map

Israel lies to the north of the equator around 3130' north latitude and 3445' east longitude. [1] It
measures 424 km (263 mi) from north to south and, at its widest point 114 km (71 mi), from east to
west.[1] At its narrowest point, however, this is reduced to just 15 km (9 mi). It has a land frontier of
1,017 km (632 mi) and a coastline of 273 km (170 mi).[1] It is ranked 153 on the List of countries and
outlying territories by total area.

Palestinian inspect the destroyed home of the Al Abadlla family following an Israeli airstrike in
Khanyounis, southern Gaza Strip on 08 July 2014.