Israel
Israel is a country of the
Middle East.
ESSENTIAL DATA
The State of Israel gives on 3 seas:
the Mediterranean in north, Dead Sea in the east and Red Sea in the south (by
the intermediary of the gulf of Aqaba). In spite of the presence of the Negev
desert (which occupies more half of the territory), some 200
million trees were planted in Israel
since its creation in 1948.
More than 80 % of the Israelis are Jews,
while 20 % are Arabs. Israel appears among the richest countries in the world as
regards incomes per capita.
|
Israel
|
|
|
Name
|
State of Israel
|
|
Population
|
6 352 117 inhabitants in 2006
|
|
Capital
|
Jerusalem (701 512 inhabitants)
not recognized by the international community |
|
Surface
|
21 946 km²
|
|
Administrative
cutting
|
6 districts
|
|
Principal
cities
|
Jerusalem (701 512 inhabitants)
|
|
Such-Aviv-Jaffa (368 635 inhabitants)
|
|
|
Haïfa (269 417 inhabitants)
|
|
|
Rishon Ziyyon (216 851 inhabitants)
|
|
|
Holon (165 900 inhabitants)
|
|
|
Beersheba (184 200 inhabitants)
|
|
|
Petah Tikva (175 500 inhabitants)
|
|
|
Netanya (168 800 inhabitants)
|
|
|
Currency
|
shekel
|
|
Official
languages
|
Hebrew
Arabic |
A
HISTORIC INSIGHT
The modern history of the State of Israel goes back at the
beginning of the xx E century, and more particularly to 1948,
date of its creation. Before this date, its history is that of Palestine.
Cananéens are the first known inhabitants of
Palestine. During the III E thousand-year-old before J-C, they melt
of the cities, among which Jéricho. Palestine is ideally located
between Asia and Africa; the territory thus is very coveted, in particular by
Egypt.
The Hebrews settle in this area and create the
kingdom of Israel to the xi E
century before J-C: Jerusalem is the capital. But at the next century, the
kingdom is divided into two: the kingdom of Israel (in north) and the
kingdom of Juda (in the south). The two territories are then conquered
successively by Perses, the Greeks and the Romans. Then the
Arab armies take Jerusalem to the vii
E century after J-C.
Palestine is a Holy Land for Islam: it is indeed from Jerusalem that the Mahomet
prophet is assembled to the
sky after his death. From 1095 to 1270, crusades are carried out by the
Christians of Occident in order to
take again the holy places of Christianity such as the tomb of Jesus-Christ.
The town of Jerusalem is thus with the crossroads of the three great religions
monotheists (belief as an only one
god): Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
They are then the Turks ottomans (Moslems)
who dominate Palestine, of the xvi E at the beginning of the xx E
century. The first movements aiming at creating a State bringing together
all the Jews (it is the Zionism) are born at the end of
the xix E century.
In 1922, the SDN (the Company of the
Nations, ancestor of UNO) entrusts a mandate of administration of
Palestine to Great Britain.
However, of the tensions burst between
Juifs and Arabs, who assert the same territory.
The State of Israel is officially
created by UNO in 1948. Several wars burst then between Arab Israel and its
neighbors: it is the beginning of the conflict israélo-Arabic, which
perdure today still.
TO GO FURTHER
? Asia
? Jerusalem —Such-Aviv-Jaffa
? Hebrews
? crusades
? the world since the xx E century: birth of the conflict israélo-Arabic
? Judaism
? Christianity
? Islam
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire