Israel

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Country Name

Israel, or officially the State of Israel.

Location

Israel is located in Western Asia, on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.

It surrounds by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to the east and west, respectively, and Egypt to the southwest.

Capital

Jerusalem.

Reason Of Naming

Under the British Mandate (1920–1948), the whole region was known as Palestine. In 1948, the country formally adopted the name 'The State of Israel'. In the early weeks of independence, the government chose the term "Israeli" to denote a citizen of Israel. The names Land of Israel and Children of Israel have historically been used to refer to the biblical Kingdom of Israel and the entire Jewish people respectively. The name 'Israel', refers to the patriarch Jacob who, according to the Hebrew Bible, was given the name after he successfully wrestled with the angel of the Lord. Jacob's twelve sons became the ancestors of the Israelites, also known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel or Children of Israel. Jacob and his sons had lived in Canaan but were forced by famine to go into Egypt for four generations, lasting 430 years, until Moses, a great-great-grandson of Jacob, led the Israelites back into Canaan during the "Exodus".

Flag

The Flag of Israel was adopted on October 28, 1948. The flag is known as Degel Yisra'el or "the flag of Israel". The flag consists of a white background with two blue stripes near the top and bottom of the flag with a blue hexagram at the center.

The blue hexagram represents the Star of David which is widely recognized

as a symbol of Judaism and is also known as the Shield of David. The star is made of two equilateral triangles. The star represents the Jewish people.

The blue stripes are inspired by the Jewish prayer shawl called "tallit", According to the Torah, the blue on the prayer shawl would serve to remind the Israelites of the commandments.