Israel (nation), republic in the Middle East, formally known as the State of Israel (in Hebrew, Medinat Yisra'el) and accomplished in 1948. Israel is on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and bordered to the north by Lebanon, to the north-east by Syria, to the east by Jordan, and to the south-west by Egypt. Its southernmost tip extends to the Gulf of Aqaba, an arm of the Red Sea; Israel's area is 21,920 sq km (8,463 sq mi).

Population
        5,481,000
        (1996 official estimate)
Population Density
        269 people/sq km
        (699 people/sq mi)
        (1996 official estimate)
Urban/Rural Breakdown
        92% Urban
        8% Rural
Largest Cities
        Jerusalem591,400
        Tel Aviv-Yafo355,900
        Haifa252,300
        (1996 estimate)
Ethnic Groups
        81% Israeli
        19% Arab
Languages
Official Languages
        Hebrew
        Arabic
        Other Languages
        Yiddish, Russian, Romanian, English, and many other European languages; 
        Ethiopian dialects
Religions
        81% Jewish
        15% Muslim
        5% Other
        including Christianity and Druze Islam