Israel

Israel is a small country in the Middle East, at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It shares borders with Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. About 9 million people live there. The country is only about 260 miles long from north to south, roughly the driving distance from New York City to Washington D.C. Israel became an independent country on May 14, 1948.

The land is small, but it has a lot of different landscapes. In the north are green hills and the Sea of Galilee, a large freshwater lake. In the south stretches the Negev Desert, a dry, rocky region that covers more than half the country. Along the coast are sandy beaches and busy cities like Tel Aviv. In the east lies the Dead Sea, which is the lowest place on land anywhere on Earth. Its surface sits about 1,400 feet below sea level. The water is so salty that swimmers float on top without trying.

Jerusalem is Israel's largest city and its capital. It is also one of the oldest cities in the world, with parts that are more than 3,000 years old. Jerusalem is a holy city for three major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque all stand within a short walk of each other in the old part of the city.

Most people in Israel are Jewish, and Israel is the only country in the world with a Jewish majority. About one in five people is Arab, and most Arab citizens are Muslim. Smaller groups include Christians, Druze, and others. Hebrew and Arabic are both widely spoken. Hebrew had almost died out as a daily spoken language for nearly 2,000 years. It was brought back in the late 1800s and early 1900s and is now used by millions of people every day.

Israel and its neighbors have been in conflict for a long time. The land is also claimed by the Palestinian people, and there is no peaceful solution yet. Some areas, like the West Bank and Gaza Strip, are at the center of this disagreement. People around the world, including experts, historians, and ordinary people, have very different views about the conflict.

Israel is known for farming in the desert, for new technology, and for ancient history. Archaeologists still dig up cities, coins, and scrolls that are thousands of years old. Under its modern streets, layer by layer, some of the oldest stories in human history are buried.