Israel
A small, contested homeland on the eastern Mediterranean
Israel is a small but densely consequential nation on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, founded in 1948 as a Jewish state and a focus of religious devotion for half the world. Within a country roughly the size of New Jersey lie the holy city of Jerusalem, the lowest point on Earth's land surface at the Dead Sea, and a high-technology economy that earned the nickname Start-Up Nation. It is also the heart of one of the world's most enduring and bitter conflicts.
The land runs from the fertile coastal plain and the hills of Galilee in the north through the central highlands around Jerusalem to the vast Negev desert in the south. The Jordan Rift Valley drops to the Dead Sea, more than 400 meters below sea level, while Mount Meron is the highest peak within Israel's recognized territory. The climate is Mediterranean to arid. Technology, defense, diamonds, pharmaceuticals, and intensive agriculture drive the economy.
The modern state grew from the Zionist movement and waves of Jewish immigration, declaring independence in 1948 amid war with neighboring Arab states. Successive conflicts, the occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967, and recurring wars have shaped its security-focused politics. A parliamentary democracy with a diverse society of Jews and Arab citizens, it counts Jerusalem as its capital, though that status is internationally disputed. The conflict with the Palestinians remains unresolved.