Israel

The State of Israel is a country in the Western Asian Levant, on the southeastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon on the north, Syria and Jordan on the east, and Egypt on the south-west. Israel declared independence in 1948 and is the world's only Jewish state, although its population includes citizens of many ethnic and religious backgrounds. It is the Middle East's only liberal democracy, according to the international data of Freedom House.Israel has a vibrant cultural life and a technologically and industrially advanced economy. In 2006, Israel was ranked 23rd out of 177 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index, the highest ranking in the Middle East and third highest in all of Asia.Jerusalem is an ancient Middle Eastern city that is Israel's national capital and its largest city. Country Code: 972