Israel

The word “Israel” means a country in the Middle East on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, established as a modern state in 1948. In plain terms, the modern country in the Middle East, and also a biblical name tied to Jacob and his descendants.

“Israel” is pronounced IHZ-ray-uhl (/ˈɪz.ɹeɪl/ in IPA).

Here is “Israel” used in a sentence: “They flew to Israel to visit relatives in Tel Aviv.”

“Israel” is a name.

The word “Israel” comes from Hebrew. From Hebrew Yisra'el. In the Bible, the name is explained as meaning something like "he wrestles with God" or "God rules," given to Jacob after Genesis 32:28.

“Israel” is a very common word in modern English.

“Israel” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a country in the Middle East on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, established as a modern state in 1948.

Israel lies in Western Asia, at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea in the region known as the Middle East. It shares land borders with Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt, and has coastlines on both the Mediterranean and, at its southern tip, the Red Sea via the Gulf of Aqaba.

The modern State of Israel was established on 14 May 1948, when its founding was declared as British rule over the territory ended. The date marks the creation of Israel as an independent country, and it is commemorated each year as the nation's Independence Day.

Hebrew is the official and most widely used language in Israel, and it is the language of government, education, and daily life. Arabic holds special status and is spoken by a large minority, while English is very widely understood and commonly used in business and tourism.

Israel's official currency is the Israeli new shekel, abbreviated as ILS and shown with the shekel symbol. It is divided into 100 agorot and is issued by the Bank of Israel. The new shekel replaced the earlier shekel in 1985 and is used throughout the country.

Jerusalem is designated by Israel as its capital and is home to the country's government institutions. The city's international status is disputed, and many countries base their embassies in Tel Aviv, Israel's largest economic and cultural centre. Both cities are central to the nation's public life.