Country Name - IsraelIsrael flag

Head of statePresident Reuven Rivlin
Capital CityJerusalem
Official LanguageHebrew (official), Arabic, English
GDP (PPP) 2013 Estimate ($ billions)257.51
Population 20127,907,900
Ease of Doing Business Rank 201435
Scientific ranking 201431
HDI ranking 201319
Visitor Health InformationClick here
Ambassador to the UKH.E. Mr Daniel Taub
Embassy DetailsEmbassy of Israel
Embassy Address2 Palace Green, London, W8 4QB
Telephone020 7957 9500
Data Sources: GDP - IMF World Economic Outlook Database (Oct 2013), Population data - World Bank, Ease of Doing Business Rankings - World Bank, Scientific Rankings - SCImago Journal Rank, HDI Rankings - United Nations

Israel lies at the western end of Asia where it meets the Mediterranean Sea. It shares land borders with Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank and with Syria.

Israel's geographical regions include:

  • The Negev desert in the south
  • The Jezreel Valley
  • The mountain ranges of the Galilee, Carmel and Golan
  • The Israeli Coastal Plain
  • The Jordan Rift Valley, which forms a small part Great Rift Valley.

The climate of Israel varies from semi-arid in the south changing to a Mediterranean climate along the coast and becoming colder in the mountain regions.

Israel do not have the traditional natural reserves of countries within the region. However it does have reserves of potash, from the Dead Sea, which is used in fertilizers and also magnesium bromide which is used in medications such as sedatives. Additionally, Israel has reserves of copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock and clay.