licensed tour guide Israel
licensed tour guide Israel
About Israel
Facts & Figures
- Area: ~22,000 km2
- Capital: Jerusalem
- Official languages: Hebrew, Arabic, English
- Currency: New Israeli Shekel (NIS)
- Independence Day: 5 Iyyar (Hebrew calendar)
Political
- Political system: Parliamentary Democracy
- Parliament: Knesset, 120 seats
- Prime Minister: Benyamin "Bibi" Netanyahu
- President: Reuven Rivlin
Demographic
- Population: ~9 million, incl. ~75% Jews, ~21% Muslims
- Density: ~400 per km2 (it is double in non-desert areas)
- Demographic growth: +2% (OECD is about 0.6%)
- Fertility: 3.1 children per woman
- Age: ~30% are up to 15 years; ~10% are 60 or older
- Life expectancy: 82 years (world rank #8)
- Satisfaction with life situation: 89% of people
Economy
- GDP: $350 billion -- GDP per capita: $40,000 (rank #85)
- GDP growth: +4.4%
- GDP by sector: agriculture 2%, industry 27%, svcs 70%
- Expenditure on civilian R&D: 4.5% of GDP
- Venture Capital investment per capita: ~$675 (rank #1)
- Debt to GDP ratio: 61% (world figures)
- Unemployment: 3%
- Minimum wage: ~1400 Euros (5300 NIS) per month
- Inflation: 0.2%
- VAT: 17% (no VAT to tourists for hotels, rentals, svcs)
- Credit rating (Standard & Poor's): AA-, stable
- Main industries: high-tech (see list of inventions), pharmaceuticals, potash & phosphates, metallurgy, chemicals, diamond cutting, financial services, etc.
Religious Dates in Israel
Main religious dates in 2022
- Epiphany: 6 January
- Orthodox Nativity: 7 January
- Baptism of Jesus: 9 January
- Orthodox New Year: 14 January
- Tu Bishvat: 17 January
- St. Valentine: 14 February
- Ash Wednesday and Lent: 2 March
- Purim: 17 March
- Shushan Purim (walled cities): 18 March
- Annunciation: 25 March
- Isra and Mi'raj: 1 April
- Ramadan begins: 3 April
- Palm Sunday: 10 April
- Good Friday: 14 April
- Passover (Pesach): 16 - 23 April
- Easter Monday: 17 April
- Laylat al-Qadr: 29 April
- Eid el-Fitr (end of Ramadan): 3 May
- Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Day): 4 May
- Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day): 5 May
- Lag BaOmer: 19 May
- Yom HaAtzmaut (Independance Day): 29 April
- Ascension of Jesus: Thursday 26 May
- Yom Yeroshalayim (Jerusalem Day): 29 May
- Shavuot: 5 June
- Pentecost: Monday 5 June
- Corpus Christi: 16 June
- Eid el-Adha: 9-13 July
- Muharram begins (New Year): 30 July
- Tisha BeAv: 6 August
- Transfiguration: 6 August
- Assumption of Mary: 15 August
- Ashurah (10 Muharram): 8 August
- Nativity of Mary: 8 September
- Rosh Hashana: 26 September
- Yom Kippur: 5 October
- Sukkot: 9-16 October
- Simchat Torah: 17 October
- All Saints' Day: 1 November
- Advent (first Sunday) - 27 November
- Immaculate Conception: 8 December
- Hanukkah: 16-26 December
- Christmas Eve: 24 December
- Christmas: 25 December
