1. Lowest point: At -418 meters, the Dead Sea coastline is the lowest point of dry land in the world. The Dead Sea also contains about 31.5% of salt, which is about 9 times as much as the Mediterranean Sea. The extreme salt content means that almost no life can survive in the sea. Hence the name ‘Dead Sea’
2. Kosher: The glue on Israel’s stamps is kosher. The burgers at McDonald’s in Israel are also kosher (kosher is a ritual form of slaughter used only by Jews)
3. Tzedakah: At some bus stops in Israel, there is a small box for collecting charity (tzedakah). However, it should be noted that tzedakah is more of an obligation, whereas charity in the traditional sense is something you give generously out of spontaneous kindness
4. Silicon Wadi: With more than 3000 high-tech companies and start-ups, Israel has the second highest concentration of high-tech companies in the world. The highest concentration is in the Silicon Wadi area, surpassed only by California’s Silicon Valley
5. The Negev Desert: The Negev Desert covers over half of Israel and is located in the southern part of the country. Although the desert generally doesn’t grow many plants, vegetation such as acacia and pistachio trees, as well as other smaller vegetation

Fact: The Wailing Wall in East Jerusalem, Israel, is the holiest site in Judaism
6. Sea and lake: Israel has access to the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea (Gulf of Aqaba), the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. About half of Israel’s drinking water comes from Lake Genesaret
7. Braille: Israeli banknotes (Shekel) feature Braille (Braille alphabet), making it easier for blind and visually impaired people to handle money
8. Military service: Military service is mandatory for all citizens over the age of 18 in Israel. However, Arabs are exempt, and can be exempted for religious, physical or psychological reasons. Yeshiva students (who study Torah and Talmud) have the right to postpone conscription indefinitely due to their studies and in practice, many of them never join the military. In addition, there are also a number of conscientious objectors
9. The formation of Israel: Israel’s raison d’être is found partly in the Bible’s descriptions of the land of Israel, but also in the history of the Jews as a persecuted people. After World War I, the so-called Palestine Mandate (an area consisting of present-day Jordan and Israel) was approved by the League of Nations to establish a “national home for the Jewish people”. In 1947, the UN approved a division of the Mandate into 2 states: one Arab and one Jewish
10. Israel in the present: The then head of the World Zionist Organization, David Ben-Gurion, declared the state of Israel independent on May 14, 1948. The following day, Arab countries launched a war of independence (the 1948 Arab-Israeli War), which Israel won. However, the war led to an expansion of Israel’s borders, which was not part of the original 1947 UN partition plan. Since then, the situation in Israel has generally been characterized by unrest and also several wars

The two largest cities in Israel are the capital Jerusalem with 815,600 inhabitants (top) and Tel Aviv with 403,700 inhabitants (bottom)