Location:
Middle East, west of Jordan, east of Israel
Geographic coordinates:
32 00 N, 35 15 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 5,860 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 5,640 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 220 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
country comparison to the world: 172
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Delaware
Land boundaries:
total: 478 km
border countries (2): Israel 330 km, Jordan 148 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Terrain:
mostly rugged, dissected upland in west, flat plains descending to Jordan River valley to the east
Elevation:
mean elevation:
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
Natural resources:
arable land
Land use:
agricultural land: 43.3%
arable land 7.4%; permanent crops 11%; permanent pasture 24.9%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 1.5%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 55.2%
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]
note: includes Gaza Strip (2011 est.)
Irrigated land:
240 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
Natural hazards:
droughts
Environment - current issues:
adequacy of freshwater supply; sewage treatment
Geography - note:
landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are about 381 Israeli civilian sites, including about 212 settlements and 134 small outpost communities in the West Bank and 35 sites in East Jerusalem (2014 est.)