Israel (nation), republic in the Middle East, formally known as the State of Israel (in Hebrew, Medinat Yisra'el) and accomplished in 1948. Israel is on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and bordered to the north by Lebanon, to the north-east by Syria, to the east by Jordan, and to the south-west by Egypt. Its southernmost tip extends to the Gulf of Aqaba, an arm of the Red Sea; Israel's area is 21,920 sq km (8,463 sq mi).

Population
	5,481,000
	(1996 official estimate)
Population Density
	269 people/sq km
	(699 people/sq mi)
	(1996 official estimate)
Urban/Rural Breakdown
	92% Urban
	8% Rural
Largest Cities
	Jerusalem591,400
	Tel Aviv-Yafo355,900
	Haifa252,300
	(1996 estimate)
Ethnic Groups
	81% Israeli
	19% Arab
Languages
Official Languages
	Hebrew
	Arabic
	Other Languages
	Yiddish, Russian, Romanian, English, and many other European languages; 
	Ethiopian dialects
Religions
	81% Jewish
	15% Muslim
	5% Other
	including Christianity and Druze Islam