Location: :
Middle East, west of Jordan
Geographic coordinates: :
32 00 N, 35 15 E
Map references: :
Middle East
Area: :
*total:* 5,860 sq km
*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
Area - comparative: :
slightly smaller than Delaware
Land boundaries: :
*total:* 404 km
*border countries:* Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
Coastline: :
0 km (landlocked)
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, some vegetation in west, but barren in east
Elevation extremes: :
*lowest point:* Dead Sea -408 m
*highest point:* Tall Asur 1,022 m
Natural resources: :
arable land
Land use: :
*arable land:* NEGL%
*permanent crops:* 0%
*other:* 100% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: :
NA sq km
Natural hazards: :
droughts
Environment - current issues: :
adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment
Geography - note: :
landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers;
there are 242 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West
Bank and 29 in East Jerusalem (February 2002 est.)
