Israel is a country in Asia, in Middle East, with about 10.1 million people (2025) and an area of 22,070 square kilometres. Its capital is Jerusalem, and it shares land borders with 5 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of IsraelIsrael in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
Key facts about Israel
Capital
JerusalemCapital status is disputed. Israel designates Jerusalem as its capital; most states keep their embassies in Tel Aviv.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Israel's 5, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 5
A crossroads compressed into 22,000 square kilometers
Israel is smaller than the US state of New Jersey but sits at the junction of three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. The Mediterranean coast, the Negev desert, the Jordan Rift Valley, and the hills of Galilee pack geographic diversity into a tiny footprint. Every border is contested or guarded, and strategic depth is essentially nonexistent. Israel's geography makes it both a crossroads and a pressure point.
More on strategic depth
At its narrowest point, Israel is only about 15 km wide. This lack of territorial buffer has shaped Israeli military doctrine around preemption and rapid mobilization since the country's founding.
4 more lenses on Israel in the app
STORY Israel's founding and its consequences remain the region's defining fault line
NOW The Gaza war reshaped Israel's economy and global standing
NOW The Gaza war froze the Abraham Accords and revived the Palestinian question
THREAD The Israeli-Palestinian conflict shapes alliances far beyond the region
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
Compare Israel with another country
Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.
Common questions
What is the capital of Israel?
The capital of Israel is Jerusalem. Capital status is disputed. Israel designates Jerusalem as its capital; most states keep their embassies in Tel Aviv. Jerusalem lies at about 31.8 degrees north and 35.2 degrees east. Israel is in Asia, in the region often called Middle East.
What is the population of Israel?
About 10.1 million people live in Israel, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 95th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 22,070 square kilometres, that is about 459 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Israel?
Israel shares land borders with 5 countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. The map on this page outlines each of them around Israel. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake. Borders here follow Natural Earth at the 1:50 million scale, with Crimea shown as part of Ukraine and Western Sahara as a separate territory.
How big is Israel?
Israel covers 22,070 square kilometres, or about 8,521 square miles. That makes it the 148th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 10.1 million gives a density of 459 people per square kilometre.
Israel is a country in Asia, in Middle East, with about 10.1 million people (2025) and an area of 22,070 square kilometres. Its capital is Jerusalem, and it shares land borders with 5 countries.
Capital
JerusalemCapital status is disputed. Israel designates Jerusalem as its capital; most states keep their embassies in Tel Aviv.
Continent
Asia
Region
Middle East
Population
10,122,800 2025, World Bank. 95th of 195.
Area
22,070 km² (8,521 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 148th largest of 195.
Population density
459 people per km²
Land neighbours
5: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria
Official name
State of Israel
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
A crossroads compressed into 22,000 square kilometers
Israel is smaller than the US state of New Jersey but sits at the junction of three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. The Mediterranean coast, the Negev desert, the Jordan Rift Valley, and the hills of Galilee pack geographic diversity into a tiny footprint. Every border is contested or guarded, and strategic depth is essentially nonexistent. Israel's geography makes it both a crossroads and a pressure point.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/israel/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Israel
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Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/israel/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
