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Capital: Jerusalem
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Currency: New Shekel (ILS)
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Dialling Code: +972
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Driving Side: Right
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Demonym: Israeli
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Official Languages: Hewbrew, Arabic
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Population: 8,819,200 (2018)
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Religion (2016): 74.7% Jewish, 17.7% Muslim, 2.0% Christian, 1.6% Druze, 4.0% other
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Time Zone: IST (UTC+2) / IDT (UTC+3)
Israel is a Middle-Eastern country with a long coastline on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea. Officially the State of Israel, the diverse country shares land borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan on the east, the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the east and west, respectively, and Egypt to the southwest.
Israel was established as a homeland for the Jewish people and is often referred to as a Jewish state. Tel Aviv is the country’s economy and technology center, while Jerusalem is its seat of government and proclaimed capital, although the state's sovereignty over Jerusalem is not recognised internationally.
The State of Israel is regarded by the world’s major monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—as the biblical holy land. The city of Jerusalem is home to a number of sacred sites that are pivotal to the religious beliefs of Jews, Muslims and Christians.
Some of the sites include the Old City that incorporates the Western Wall and the Temple Mount, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Other religious landmarks and locations include Nazareth (Christianity), Tiberias and Safed (Judaism), the White Mosque in Ramla (Islam) and the Church of Saint George in Lod (Christianity and Islam).
Israel has two official languages, Hebrew and Arabic. Hebrew is the primary language of the state while Arabic is spoken by the Arab minority, with Hebrew taught in Arab schools. It is considered the most advanced country in Southwest Asia and the Middle East in economic and industrial development.
Tourism, especially religiou