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Ramallah

Capital of PalestineRamallah sits high in the Judaean Mountains in the central West Bank, at about 870 m above sea level, right next to the town of al-Bireh.

Why it's the capital

After the Oslo Accords, the Israeli army pulled back to the edge of the city in December 1995, and the newly formed Palestinian Authority took over. First seen as a temporary solution, Ramallah became the administrative seat of the Palestinian Authority.

Fun facts

  1. The name Ramallah means "God's Height".
  2. Local tradition says the town was founded by five sons of Rashid ibn Saqr al-Haddadin, from an Arab Christian family, and for most of its history Ramallah was a mainly Christian town.
  3. Yasser Arafat was buried in 2004 in the courtyard of the Mukataa, the compound that serves as the Palestinian Authority's headquarters in Ramallah.

Finding it on the globe

Find Jerusalem, between the Mediterranean coast and the Dead Sea, then move about 10 km north into the hills.

Easy to mix up

Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as their capital, so some players tap Jerusalem; the Palestinian Authority's offices are in Ramallah, a short way to the north.

Sources: Wikipedia: Ramallah, Wikipedia: State of Palestine, Wikipedia: East Jerusalem