Portal:Israel/Did you know

Older DYK entries

 * ...That Israel has the 8th longest life expectancy in the world: 82.0 years? This is more than the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany.


 * ...That there are 26 official Muslim States, 18 official Christian States, but there is only 1 Jewish State - Israel?


 * ...That relative to its size, Israel is the largest immigrant absorbing nation on Earth, it has absorbed 350% of its population in 60 years?


 * ...That Israel has more Nobel Prizes per capita than the United States, France and Germany? It has more laureates, in real numbers, than India, Spain and China.


 * ...That Israel's capital city, Jerusalem, is a holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims?


 * ...That Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain of trees, made more remarkable by the fact that it is 60% desert?


 * ...That 93% of Israeli homes use Solar energy for water heating, the highest percentage in the world?


 * ...That Israeli scientific research institutions are ranked 3rd in the world?


 * ...That Israel has been ranked 2nd in space sciences?


 * ...That Israel is one of the ten countries in the world capable of launching its own satellites?


 * ...That Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin -109 per 10,000 people - as well as one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed?


 * ...That Israel has the 3rd highest rate of entrepreneurship among women in the world?


 * ...That Israel has attracted the most venture capital investment per capita in the world, 30 times more than Europe?


 * ...That Israel leads the world in patents for medical equipment?


 * ...That Israel has more NASDAQ listed companies than any other country, besides the US? More than all of Europe, India, China and Japan combined.


 * ...That in proportion to its population Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world? In absolute numbers Israel has more startup companies than any other country besides the US.


 * ...That Israel has the highest number of museums per capita in the world?


 * ...That Israel has been deemed as the 8th happiest country on Earth?


 * ...That Israel has one of the best healthcare systems in the world according to OECD?


 * ...That Israel is ranked 16th in the Human Development Index? It's the highest standard of living in the Middle East, and the third highest in Asia.


 * ...That Israel is ranked 27th in terms of Gross domestic product per capita with $32,297?


 * ...That Israel is among the top three countries in cyber attack defense?


 * ...That Israel is the country which offers the best conditions for clean technology startup companies after Denmark?


 * ...That Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to population in the world?


 * ...That Israeli universities are among the best of the world?


 * ...That Israel is the second-most educated country after Canada?


 * ...That Israel is the Middle East’s only "free" state, according to Freedom House annual report?


 * ...That almost 1/3 of all Israelis do volunteer work?


 * ...That Israel's $300 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined?


 * ...That Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per capita?


 * ...That Israel was the first nation in the world to adopt the Kimberly process, an international standard that certifies diamonds as "conflict free"?


 * ...That Israel has the largest fleet of F-16 aircraft outside of the US, numbering 250?


 * ...That the proportion of women among R&D workers in Israel is approximately 23.4%? This puts Israel in second place behind Denmark. Women earned 37% of all degrees granted in science and engineering in Israel, one of the highest proportions in the world.


 * ...That the military of Israel is ranked the 11th most powerful military in the world?

Archived DYK entries

 * The name Israel, given to the Biblical patriarch Jacob mentioned in Genesis, means "one who has struggled with God".


 * [[File:President Nixon, Henry Kissinger and Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, meeting in the Oval Office 1973.gif|200px|right|Golda Meir]] Golda Meir, the first female Prime Minister of Israel and the first female Prime Minister in the world, was called the "Iron Lady" years before the epithet was coined for Margaret Thatcher. David Ben-Gurion once described her as "the only man in the Cabinet."


 * Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the US, over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany. With over 25% of its work force employed in technical professions. Israel places first in this category as well. 24% of Israel's workforce hold university degrees, ranking third in the industrialized world (after the US and Holland) and 12% hold advanced degrees.
 * Israel has the highest in the world ratio of university degrees to the population.
 * Israel has the highest per capita ratio of scientific publications in the world by a large margin, as well as one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed.
 * In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute terms, Israel has the largest number of startup companies than any other country in the world, except the US (3,500 companies mostly in high tech). On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech start-ups.


 * The cell phone was developed in Israel by Motorola-Israel.
 * Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.
 * Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the US in Israel.
 * The Pentium MMX and Centrino as well as Core Duo chips were designed by the Israel R&D division of Intel.


 * National spending in Israel on civilian R&D rose 164% in 1990-2004. In terms of purchasing power, it grew 126% in 1996-2002, while GDP rose 29%. To compare, Ireland's R&D spending was up 40%, while GDP grew 64%.


 * An average of 1,549 scientific articles per million residents per year were published by Israel in 1999-2003. This puts Israel just behind Switzerland in this category. The corresponding numbers are 900 for the US and 729 for the EU.


 * Israel accounted for 1.28% of all scientific articles worldwide. The leading field in Israel was mathematics, in which Israel accounted for 2.74% of all articles, followed by computer science (2.22%) and physics (1.52%).


 * The proportion of women among R&D workers in Israel was 23.4%. This puts Israel in second place, behind Denmark. Women accounted for 37% of all degrees granted in science and engineering in Israel, one of the highest proportions in the world. (Source: )


 * Israeli exports topped $37 billion in 2004, accounting for 0.6% of world exports and ranking Israel in the 26th place among the top world exporters. Israel’s imports reached $43 billion, also amounting to 0.6% of the world’s total imports and placing Israel in 23rd spot among the world’s importers. (Source: )


 * In the course of its unilateral disengagement, Israel is evacuating 21 communities from the Gaza Strip and 4 from Samaria (northern West Bank).


 * The year of the first Jewish sovereignty in Gaza is 150 BCE (see Maccabees)


 * Kfar Darom, an Israeli community within the Gaza Strip, was established on 250 dunam (65 acre) of land purchased by Tuvia Miller. Following the Arab riots of 1936-1939, Miller deeded his land to the Jewish National Fund. A community was established on the land in 1946 by the Hapoel Mamizrachi kibbutz movement. In the summer of 1948, it was withdrawn following a three month siege by the Egyptian army during the Israeli War of Independence. :(Source: )