Israel
Asia ยท Capital: Jerusalem
How it is run: Israel is a member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly. Use the research links below to find out exactly who makes the laws there.
Israel is home to 10.1 million people in Western Asia, where people speak Arabic, Hebrew.
Numbers that tell a story ๐ข
๐ฅ People
10.1 million people
That is 0.1% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
๐บ๏ธ Land
20,770 kmยฒ
About the size of a small US state such as Vermont or New Hampshire.
๐๏ธ How crowded
About 487 people per square kilometre โ busy towns with countryside in between.
๐ Size in its region
30th most people in Asia
39th largest by land in Asia.
๐ฃ๏ธ Official languages
Arabic, Hebrew
More than one language is used for official business.
๐ฐ Money
Israeli new shekel (โช)
Life here today ๐ฉบ
These come from World Bank open data โ the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
โค๏ธ How long people live
83.2 years on average
One of the healthier countries โ good hospitals and clean water make a big difference.
๐ผ Money made per person each year
about US$60,337
A high-income country: most families can afford cars, travel and new technology.
๐ข Living in cities
91.6% of people
Mostly a city country โ think buses, trains and apartment blocks.
๐ Kids under 15
27.2% of the population
A fairly balanced mix of young and old.
Everyday details ๐งญ
๐ Phone code
+972
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
๐ Websites end in
.il
๐ง People here are called
Israeli
๐ท๏ธ Name at home
ุฅุณุฑุงุฆูู ยท ืืฉืจืื
Also written: State of Israel, Medฤซnat Yisrฤ'el.
๐ Coast or inland
Has a coastline
๐๏ธ UN voting group
Western European and Others Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders ๐ค
Israel touches 5 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world ๐ฃ๏ธ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Israel
French
Israรซl
Arabic
ุฅุณุฑุงุฆูู
Chinese
ไปฅ่ฒๅ
Japanese
ใคในใฉใจใซ
Russian
ะะทัะฐะธะปั
Portuguese
Israel
German
Israel
Put it in perspective ๐
- India โ the most populated country in Asia โ has about 144.6ร as many people as Israel.
- Israel covers roughly 198 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in Israel lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 5,061 km.
Flags through time ๐
A flag is a country telling you what it believes. Scroll the timeline and watch Israel change.
Star of David
The design copies a Jewish prayer shawl with a blue star in the middle.
Fast facts ๐ง
Fact of the day: Israel sits in Western Asia, in the northern and eastern half of the globe.
๐ท๏ธ Official name
State of Israel
๐๏ธ Capital
Jerusalem
๐ Region
Asia ยท Western Asia
๐ค Country code
IL
๐๏ธ UN status
UN member state
๐ฉ Independence
Independent country
More about Israel ๐
Old City of Jerusalem
One walled square kilometre holds sites sacred to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, reached through eight ancient gates.
See it in Street View๐งญ Where on the map
31.5ยฐ N, 35.1ยฐ E
๐ Half of the world
Northern & Eastern hemisphere
๐ฐ๏ธ Clock check
Roughly UTC+2 โ when it is noon in London it is about 14:00 in Jerusalem.
- Israel shares its part of the world with Lebanon. Countries close together often trade the most with each other.
- Israel is an independent country, meaning it makes its own laws.
- Israel sits in Western Asia, in the northern and eastern half of the globe.
- Israel sits in the temperate zone, the belt where most of the world's farms and big cities are.
- Israel is close to the line of 0ยฐ longitude, so its clocks are near the world's reference time (UTC).
Countries nearby ๐ค
Talk about it ๐ฌ
- Israel has 2 official languages. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- Israel can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If Israel spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz ๐งช
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of Israel?
Jerusalem
Which money do people spend in Israel?
Israeli new shekel (โช)
How many countries share a land border with Israel?
5 โ Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria.
Roughly how many people live in Israel?
10.1 million people
Keep researching ๐
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further โ and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here โ kid-friendly encyclopedias ๐
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ๐๏ธ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy ๐ฐ
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card ๐ซ
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians โ all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.