National name: Medinat Yisra'el

Current government officials

Languages : Hebrew (official), Arabic, English

Ethnicity/race : Jewish 80.1% (Europe/Americas/Oceania-born 32.1%, Israel-born 20.8%, Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish 19.9% (mostly Arab) (1996 est.)

Religions : Judaism 77%, Islam 16%, Christian 2%, Druze 2% (2003)

National Holiday : Independence Day, April or May 14

Literacy rate : 97% (2004 est.)

Economic summary : GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $185.9 billion; per capita $25,800. Real growth rate : 5.3%. Inflation : 0.5%. Unemployment : 7.3%.Arable land: 16%. Agriculture : citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products Labor force : 2.88 million; agriculture 18.5%; industry 23.7%; services 50%; other 7.8% (2002). Industries : high-technology projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, construction, metals products, chemical products, plastics, diamond cutting, textiles, footwear. Natural resource : timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand. Exports : $48.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.): machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel. Imports : $52.8 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.): raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods. Major trading partners : U.S., Belgium, Hong Kong, Germany, Switzerland, UK, China (2006).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 3.006 million (2006); mobile cellular: 8.404 million (2006). Radio broadcast stations : AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998).Television broadcast stations: 17 (plus 36 low-power repeaters) (1995).Internet hosts: 671,030 (2007). Internet users: 1.899 million (2006).

Transportation: Railways: total: 853 km (2006).Highways: total: 17,446 km; paved: 17,446 km (including 56 km of expressways); unpaved: 0 km (2004). Ports and harbors:Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa.Airports: 53 (2007).

International disputes: West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel announced its intention to pull out Israeli settlers and withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the northern West Bank in 2005; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights); since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in Jerusalem monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region.