Where is it?:
On the east end of the Mediterranean Sea in the heart of ancient biblical lands. Bordered by Egypt to the south/southwest, Jordan on the east, Lebanon to the north, and Syria to the northeast.
Capital:
Jerusalem
National symbols:
The flag has a star of David in blue on a white background, with two blue stripes that resemble the Jewish prayer shawl. The coat of arms has a menorah flanked by olive branches.
HaTikva, the national anthem, means "the hope" in Hebrew.
Language:
Hebrew is the official language. Arabic is spoken among the country's Arab minority. English is the most widely spoken foreign language.
Population:
About 6.5 million, including Israeli settlers in the West Bank, Golan Heights, and east Jerusalem. Jews began settling the area in large numbers in the wake of 19th century pogroms in Eastern Europe; the Nazi scourge would push about a quarter of a million Jews to Israel. After the Holocaust, survivors also flooded Israel as many countries wouldn't take Jewish refugees.
History:
Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948, from the League of Nations' 1920 plan for a Jewish homeland, the British Mandate of Palestine. The United Nations approved a 1947 partition of the area into Jewish and Arab states. The day after declaring independence, the Arab-Israeli war began, securing Israeli territory. The 1967 Six Day War was launched in response to Egypt, Syria, and Jordan massing troops along Israel's borders; in the war, Israel captured territory including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (ceded to the Palestinians in 2005).
In the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Israel repelled an attack by Egypt and Syria.
Economy:
Israel is often noted as the most technologically centered region outside of California's Silicon Valley. The economy grew an estimated 5.4 percent in 2007 after the government lured in more foreign investment. The unemployment rate is just over 7 percent. The currency is the New Israeli Shekel (NIS).
Military:
Military service is compulsory at age 18 for Jews and Druzes (men and women) in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel Naval Forces (INF), or Israel Air Force (IAF). Christians, Muslims, and others may join voluntarily. Nearly 3 million Israelis are available for military service.
Type of government:
Parliamentary democracy. Voting age (universal) is 18.
Present-day concerns:
Territorial disputes still haunt Israel. The Gaza Strip is now under the control of the Palestinian Authority, but a dispute between the Palestinian parties Fatah and Hamas have turned the strip into a lawless, Hamas-ruled region where militants have flourished and launch rockets into Israel with daily regularity. The West Bank is partially controlled by Israel and partially controlled by the Palestinian Authority. Israel has been constructing a separation barrier between it and the West Bank to deter terrorist attacks that spiked with the 2000 al-Aqsa Intifadah, yet many international onlookers have criticized the barrier. Syria continues to lay claim to the Golan Heights, captured in the Six Day War. Even the holy city of Jerusalem is a sticking point in peace talks: most Palestinians want east Jerusalem (the al-Aqsa mosque is in the Old City) but some want no less than all of Jerusalem. On the positive front, Israel has had lasting peace agreements with Jordan and Egypt. However, on their northern borders the group Hezbollah operates out of Lebanon and Syria; Hezbollah sparked the 2006 war with Israel when the group launched a cross-border attack on Israeli soldiers and captured two.