Last updated on December 14th, 2023 at 05:07 pm
Are you looking for Interesting facts about Israel? Then, you don’t need to search again! Because, we have covered you with 30 interesting and fun facts about Israel and some basic Israel facts for kids and students too.
If you hear about the country Israel, what comes to your mind? Is it Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel, or the Dead Sea? Or Yad Vashem, Holocaust Remembrance?
Let me tell you what comes to my mind is Jerusalem and Jesus Christ, and immediately I travel back to those ancient periods. How fascinating it would be if we could travel back to those days, right?
I know, I know, you are here to learn something new about Israel.. or some amazing facts about this country that faced many, many problems after World War II. I don’t want to talk about all those things here.
In this article, I am going to share with you some amazing and fun facts about the country… Israel…
Let’s dive in.
30 Interesting Facts about Israel
Here are the thirty interesting facts about Israel and jewish people.
1. Israel leads the world in per capita altruistic kidney donations, with 1,450 donations from 2015 to 2022.
2. Scientists in Israel successfully grew fresh dates from 2000 year old seeds discovered at Masada and Qumran.
3. The Israel Postal service has a special department called “Letters to God” where letters addressed to God from around the world are opened and placed in the cracks of the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
4. At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, an old wooden ladder has remained against a window since the 18th century. It cannot be moved due to disagreements between the six different churches managing the building over ownership.
5. Israel is the only country in the world to revive a dead language and adopt it as its national language.
6. The Dead Sea, located in Israel, is the lowest point on Earth and known for its high salt content, causing everyone to float.
7. People born in Israel are called sabras, symbolizing their tough exterior but kind nature.
8. Israelis consume over a million pounds of hummus annually, equivalent to a hundred adult elephants’ worth.
9. During Hanukkah, Israelis eat around 24 million sufganiyot, or donuts, which is at least two per person in the country. Flavors range from traditional to unique, like jelly, vanilla, chocolate, Oreo, pistachio, and passionfruit.
10. Israel leads in Covid-19 vaccinations, with the highest percentage of people receiving at least one dose and the most doses administered per 100 people.
11. Israel leads in medical clowning and was the first to send medical clowns to Covid-19 wards.
12. Israel is home of many amazing beaches. Israel has 137 beautiful beaches.
13. Microsoft-Israel developed most of the Windows NT operating system.
14. Voice mail technology was also created in Israel.
15. Israel’s population is under 10 million, less than half of Beijing’s population.
16. Israel leads the world in water recycling, with 90% of its waste water being recycled. In contrast, only 1% of wastewater is recycled in the United States.
17. Israeli cows produce more milk on average than cows in other countries.
18. Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world (excluding Silicon Valley), with over 3,000 high-tech companies and start-ups.
19. Babies in Israel have a significantly lower likelihood of being allergic to peanuts compared to babies in other countries, possibly due to early consumption of Bamba peanut snacks.
20. The national anthem of Israel, HaTikvah (The Hope), became official in 2004 after a vote by the Knesset (Israeli legislature).
21. The official currency of Israel is the New Israeli Shekel, which is commonly referred to as the Shekel. It is denoted by the abbreviations NIS and ILS, and it is accepted as a legal form of payment in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
22. Israel covers an area of 8,550 square miles (Miles; not in Kilometers), roughly the size of New Jersey.
23. Approximately three-quarters of Israel’s population is Jewish.
24. Hebrew and Arabic are the two official languages of Israel, with many Israelis also speaking English, Russian, and French.
25. An early version of Israel’s blue and white flag was designed in 1891 by Rabbi Jacob Baruch Askowith, inspired by the Jewish prayer shawl known as a tallit.
26. Israel is the only country with more trees today than it had 50 years ago.
27. Biking down the middle of the highway is allowed in Israel, but only on Yom Kippur when roads are empty.
28. Israeli postage stamps use kosher glue, and paper money has metallic strips of different lengths for blind people to distinguish between bills.
29. The official emblem of Israel is a menorah with olive branches on either side, not the Star of David as commonly believed. The menorah resembles the Hanukkah menorah, which has nine branches.
30. Israel was declared a nation on May 14, 1948 (5 Iyar 5708 in the Hebrew calendar). Israel’s Independence Day is celebrated on the 5th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar each year.
Basic Facts about Israel for Kids and Students
- Official Name of the Country(s): State of Israel
- Official Language(s): Hebrew, Arabic
- Official Currency:Israeli Shekel (NIS / ILS )
- Capital City:Jerusalem
- Largest City: Jerusalem
- Population Size: Approximately 9.73 million (As of March, 2023)
- Area (in square kilometers):at 21640 square kilometers (2021)
- Time Zone(s): Israel Standard Time (IST, UTC+2)
- Bordering Countries: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt
- Climate and Weather Patterns: Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters
- Friendly Countries (Alliance): United States, India, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, South Korea, Brazil etc
- Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy
- Head of State: President (Isaac Herzog -from 7 july 2021)
- Head of Government: Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu – from 2022)
- Independence Day: Yom Ha’atzmaut
- Independence Date: May 14, 1948
- National Holiday(s): Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day) and Yom-Kippur (Day of Atonement)
- National Motto: No official motto
- National Emblem: Menorah (Seven-branched candelabrum)
- National Flag: The Flag of Israel (a white field bearing two horizontal blue stripes and a central Shield of David)
- National Anthem: Hatikvah (The Hope)
- Ntional Symbols: Menorah, Star of David
- National Bird: Hoopoe
- National Animal: Gazelle
- National Flower: Anemone coronaria (from 2013)
- National Tree: Olive
- National Dog: Canaan Dog
- National Sports: Football (Soccer)
- National Dress: No specific national dress
- National Dish(es): Falafel
- National Drink(s): No official drink
- National Parks: Masada National Park, Caesarea National Park, Ein Gedi Nature Reserve
- Official Religion(s): No official religion (But, Judaism (predominant), Islam, Christianity, Druze etc exists)
- Major Ethnic Groups: Jewish, Arab
- Major Historical Events: Establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Six-Day War in 1967
- National Achievements or Contributions: Technological innovation, Nobel Prize laureates, agricultural advancements
- Famous Personalities: David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, Shimon Peres, Benjamin Netanyahu
- National Sports Teams: Israel national football team, Israel national basketball team
- Major Cities: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Beersheba
- Major Industries: Technology (especially cybersecurity), Defense, Agriculture, Tourism
- Famous Landmarks or Monuments: Western Wall, Masada, Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, Dome of the Rock
- World Heritage Sites: Old City of Jerusalem, Masada, Bahá’í Holy Places in Haifa and the Western Galilee
- Famous Historical Figures: King David, Theodor Herzl, Chaim Weizmann
- Major Wars or Conflicts: 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Six-Day War (1967), Yom Kippur War (1973), Lebanon War (1982)
- Important Historical Documents: Balfour Declaration (1917)
- Landmarks or Sites of Cultural Significance: Mount Sinai, Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulchre
- Celebrated Festivals or Events: Passover (Pesach), Hanukkah, Independence Day (Yom Ha’atzmaut)
- Notable Sports Achievements: 3 Olympic Gold, 1 Silver, 9 Bronze medals in Gymnastics, judo and sailing etc (updated on Oct, 2023)
- Cultural Traditions and Customs: Sabbath observance, Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremonies
- Great Disasters in History: Holocaust (during World War II)
- Notable Inventions and Discoveries: Drip irrigation system (Netafim), Iron Dome, USB flash drive, PillCam, Mobileye, Cherry tomato, ReWalk, Waze, Disk-on-key, Solar windows, Copaxone
- Nobel Prize: Multiple Nobel laureates in various fields including Chemistry, Economics, Literature and Peace
- Official Website (Government): www.gov.il
- Country Calling Code: +972
- Internet TLD (Top-Level Domain): “.il”
Bottom Line:
We did it!! I hope these fantastic facts, written with passion and fewer words, are very, very helpful to you, as I understand the value of time. So, I spent countless hours extracting only the most important facts without any unnecessary details to provide useful information about Israel. We will come up with more facts about another country very soon… Thanks for reading..
