Documents for "Israeli Political Geography":

• Acre Israel: see Akko.

• Akko or Acre , Fr. Saint-Jean d'Acre, Arab. Acca, city (1994 pop. 45,300), NW Israel, a port on the Bay of Haifa (an arm of the Mediterranean Sea). Its manufactures include iron and steel, chemicals, and textiles. The city was captured (AD 638) by...

• Ascalon see Ashqelon , Israel.

• Ashdod [Heb.,=stronghold], city (1994 pop. 120,100), SW Israel, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is Israel's leading port after Haifa. Construction is Ashdod's main industry; its manufactures include...

• Ashkelon see Ashqelon , Israel.

• Ashqelon city (1994 pop. 80,100), SW Israel, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is a beach resort in an area of citrus groves and cotton plantations. Ashqelon's industries process agricultural products and...

• Bat Yam city (1994 pop. 142,300), W central Israel, on the Mediterranean Sea, near Tel Aviv. It is a suburb and an industrial center. The city was founded in 1926 and originally called Bayit VeGan...

• Beersheba [Heb.,=seven wells or well of the oath], city (1994 pop. 147,900), S Israel, principal city of the Negev Desert. It is the trade center for surrounding settlements and for Bedouins , who hold a weekly market in Beersheba. Construction is the city's main industry. Manufactures include chemicals, textiles, ceramics, glass, diamond cutting, plastics, and food products. Beersheba...

• Beisan see Bet Shean , Israel.

• Bene Beraq or Bene Berak , town (1994 pop. 127,100), central Israel, near Tel Aviv. Famous for its academy under Rabbi Akiba's direction, it had six Talmudic academies by the 1990s. It is a suburb of Tel Aviv; its...

• Bet Shean town (1994 pop. 14,900), NE Israel, in the Jordan River valley, c.300 ft (90 m) below sea level. Situated in a fertile farming region, it is a center for agricultural experiments. Textiles are...

• Dimona [Heb.,=wasting], town (1994 pop. 30,400), S Israel, in the Negev Desert. It is the seat of the Negev Nuclear Research Center. Mining and the production of textiles, chemicals, and processed...

• Eilat see Elat , Israel.

• Elat or Eilat [Heb.,=trees], city (1994 pop. 35,700), S Israel, a port on the Gulf of Aqaba, an arm of the Red Sea. It is strategically located near the Sinai peninsula, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia and is Israel's...

• Galilee region, N Israel, roughly the portion north of the plain of Esdraelon. Galilee was the chief scene of the ministry of Jesus. The Sea of Galilee (see Galilee, Sea of ), the countryside, and the towns— Cana , Capernaum , Tiberias , Nazareth —are repeatedly referred to in the Gospels. Jesus himself was called the Galilean, and his disciples were chosen from the local fishermen. After the destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70), Galilee became...

• Givatayim town (1994 pop. 46,500), W central Israel, a residential suburb of Tel Aviv. It was the first Jewish workers' development in Palestine in the 1920s. Industries include printing and food processing....

• Hadera town (1993 pop. 50,700), W Israel, on the plain of Sharon, near the Mediterranean Sea. Manufactures include tires, paper, and processed foods. The town has a large electric power plant. Hadera was...

• Haifa city (1994 pop. 246,700), NW Israel, a port on the Mediterranean Sea, at the foot of Mt. Carmel. Haifa is the chief city of N Israel and the country's principal oil refining center. Along with Ashdod , Haifa is one of Israel's main ports and handles oceangoing vessels, including oil tankers. Industries include steel, shipbuilding, textiles, chemicals, high-tech electronics, and food processing...

• Herzlia see Herzliya , Israel.

• Herzliya or Herzlia , town (1994 pop. 83,800), central Israel, near the Mediterranean Sea. It is a resort with fine beaches, as well as an important electronics center. It was founded in 1924 and named for...

• Holon city (1994 pop. 163,700), W central Israel. Manufactures include textiles, metal and leather goods, processed foods, furniture, glassware, plastics, and construction materials. Holon was founded...

• Holy Land see Palestine.

• Israel officially State of Israel, republic (2005 est. pop. 6,277,000, including Israelis in occupied Arab territories), 7,992 sq mi (20,700 sq km), SW Asia, on the Mediterranean Sea. (The area figure...

• Jaffa Heb. Yafo, part of Tel Aviv , W central Israel, on the Mediterranean Sea. Originally a Phoenician city, Jaffa has been historically important largely because of its port (which was closed in 1965, when the port of Ashdod was...

• Japho see Jaffa , Israel.

• Jerusalem Heb. Yerushalayim, Arab. Al Quds, city (1994 pop. 578,800), capital of Israel. It is situated on a ridge 2,500 ft (760 m) high that lies west of the Dead Sea and the Jordan River. Jerusalem is an administrative, religious,...

• Joppa see Jaffa , Israel.

• Lod city (1994 pop. 51,200), central Israel. It is also known as Lydda. Its manufactures include paper products, chemicals, oil products, electronic equipment, processed food, and cigarettes. Nearby...

• Lydda see Lod , Israel.

• Natanya see Netanya , Israel.

• Nathania see Netanya , Israel.

• Nazareth town (1993 pop. 53,500), N Israel, in Galilee. As the home of Jesus , it is a great pilgrimage and tourist center. Nazareth is also the trade center for an agricultural region. The town's manufactures include processed food, cigarettes, and pottery. Mineral water is...

• Netanya city (1994 pop. 144,900), W central Israel, on the Mediterranean Sea; also spelled Nathania. It is a beach resort and the trade center for agricultural settlements in the region. Diamond cutting...

• Palestine historic region on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, at various times comprising parts of modern Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, and Egypt; also known as the Holy Land. The name...

• Petah Tiqwa town (1994 pop. 152,000), W central Israel. Its industries produce textiles, plastics, processed foods, tires and other rubber products, and soap. There are extensive citrus groves on the...

• Ramat Gan city (1994 pop. 122,200), W central Israel, adjacent to Tel Aviv. Founded in 1921, Ramat Gan is an important industrial center. Food processing is the chief industry; construction materials are...

• Ramla or Ramleh [Arab.,=sand], town (1994 pop. 57,300), central Israel, in a farming area. Ramla may be the biblical Ramathaim-zophim , but more probably it was founded (c.716) by the Arabs. It became the capital of Palestine and was fought over constantly during the Crusades. After Israeli forces took it in 1948, Ramla was...

• Ramleh see Ramla , Israel.

• Rehoboth see Rehovot , Israel.

• Rehovot or Rehoboth , town (1994 pop. 84,900), central Israel. It is the trade center for a large citrus-growing area, and its industries include fruit packing and the production of citrus concentrates. Plastic...

• Rishon Leziyyon town (1994 pop. 160,200), W central Israel. It has one of Israel's largest wineries. Citrus fruits are an important product. Rishon Leziyyon was founded in 1882 as the second modern Jewish village...

• Safad see Zefat , Israel.

• Safed see Zefat , Israel.

• Saint-Jean d'Acre see Akko , Israel.

• Tel Aviv city (1994 pop. 355,200), W central Israel, on the Mediterranean Sea. Oficially named Tel Aviv-Jaffa, it is Israel's commercial, financial, communications, and cultural center and the core of its...

• Tiberias town (1994 pop. 36,400), NE Israel, on the Sea of Galilee, 682 ft (208 m) below sea level. It is one of the four holy cities of Judaism and a trade center for agricultural settlements. A resort...

• Zefat town (1994 pop. 21,600), NE Israel. One of Israel's four holy cities, it has a thriving artists' colony and many museums and ancient synagogues. Ceramics, diamonds, and handicrafts are produced in...