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Tel Aviv

City in IsraelTel Aviv lies on the Mediterranean coast of central Israel, where low cliffs rise above the beach and the Yarkon River reaches the sea. The ancient port of Jaffa forms its southern part.

What it's known for

Founded in 1909 next to Jaffa, Tel Aviv is Israel's economic and technology centre and a global high-tech hub, the heart of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. It has been nicknamed the 'Nonstop City'.

Fun facts

  1. The name is the Hebrew title of Theodor Herzl's 1902 novel 'Altneuland': a 'tel' is an ancient mound built up over centuries, and 'aviv' means spring.
  2. The White City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003, has the world's largest group of buildings in the International Style of architecture.
  3. The State of Israel was proclaimed on 14 May 1948 in a house on Rothschild Boulevard that had been the home of Meir Dizengoff, the city's first mayor.

Finding it on the globe

Aim for the middle of Israel's Mediterranean coast: Tel Aviv is on the shore, about 55 km northwest of Jerusalem.

Easy to mix up

Tel Aviv is Israel's main business city, but it is not the capital: Israel names Jerusalem as its capital, and many countries keep their embassies in Tel Aviv.

Sources: Wikipedia: Tel Aviv, Wikipedia: Independence Hall (Israel), Wikipedia: Jaffa