Exact population: 6,352,117 note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2006 est.)

Literacy: Total population: 95.4%; male: 97.3%; female: 93.6%

Ethnicities: Jewish 80.1% (Europe/America-born 32.1%, Israel-born 20.8%, Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish 19.9% (mostly Arab) (1996 est.)

Area: Total: 20,770 sq km; land: 20,330 sq km; water: 440 sq km

Land boundaries: Total: 1,017 km; border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km

Terrain: Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley

Extremes: Lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m; highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m

Imports: US 15%, Belgium 10.1%, Germany 7.5%, Switzerland 6.5%, UK 6.1% (2004)

Exports: US 36.8%, Belgium 7.5%, Hong Kong 4.9% (2004)

Industries: High-technology projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, construction, metals products, chemical products, plastics, diamond cutting, textiles and footwear

Source: CIA World Factbook