Israel: landmarks, animals & facts for kids

Israel is a small country in the Middle East on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt, as well as the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israel proclaims Jerusalem as its capital, a status that most other countries do not recognise. The region holds places sacred to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the country is also known for the Dead Sea, its deserts and its technology industry.

On My Earth Toy you can visit Masada, an ancient fortress built by King Herod on top of a steep rock plateau above the Dead Sea. Nearby you can spot the Nubian ibex, a wild goat with huge curved horns, and the rock hyrax, a small furry animal that basks on sunny rocks.

Geography and nature

Although Israel is small, its landscapes change quickly: a fertile Mediterranean coast, green hills in the north, the Jordan River valley in the east, and the Negev desert covering the south. The Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake far below sea level, and the shore of the Dead Sea is the lowest land on Earth. At the southern tip, the town of Eilat touches the Red Sea and its coral reefs. Each spring and autumn, hundreds of millions of migrating birds fly over the country between Europe and Africa.

People, languages and culture

Hebrew is the official language, and Arabic has a special status and is spoken by many citizens. About three-quarters of the people are Jewish, and around one in five are Arab citizens, most of them Muslim, along with Christian and Druze communities. Hebrew was mostly a language of prayer and books for centuries before it was revived as an everyday spoken language in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Popular foods include falafel, hummus and fresh salads.

History in a nutshell

About 3,000 years ago, ancient Israelite kingdoms ruled here, with Jerusalem as an important city. The land was later ruled by many powers, including Rome, which besieged Masada in the 70s AD, followed by Byzantine, Islamic, Crusader, Mamluk and Ottoman rulers. After the First World War, Britain governed the area. Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, and wars with neighbouring countries followed. Israel later signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, while the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains unresolved.