Wikipedia:Today's featured article/May 8, 2008



Israel is a country in Western Asia located on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. The country is the world's only Jewish state, although it is also home to a significant Arab minority. Israel maintains a representative democracy with a parliamentary system and universal suffrage. Its geography varies widely, from the desert regions of the south to the mountainous regions of the north. Meanwhile, the economic, cultural, and population centers of Israel are located in the center of the country and throughout the coastal plain. The modern state has its roots in the Land of Israel, a concept that has been central to Judaism for over three thousand years, and the region still contains several sites of key religious importance in various monotheistic faiths. In 1948, Israel declared its independence after accepting a plan to establish a Jewish state on part of the former British Mandate of Palestine. Since then, however, Israel has been in conflict with many of the neighboring Arab countries, as well as with Palestinians, resulting in several major wars and decades of violence. (more...)

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