As a small country with an incredible mix of cultures, a rich history, and a very complex political situation, Israel has done a lot of good since its establishment in 1948. With several important and innovative inventions, a booming high-tech scene, and a growing economy, it has masterfully turned itself into a powerhouse in no time. As such a unique country, which is so incomparable to any other country on earth, there are numerous fun, captivating facts about Israel, in every aspect of life. So, without further ado, here are some of the most special facts about Israel.
Fun Facts about Israel: History
Israel has the oldest dog cemetery in the world
located in the city of Ashkelon. About 30 years ago, the mysterious cemetery was discovered in the Tel Ashkelon National Park. The cemetery continues to trouble the minds of researchers even today, as no one knows why more than 1,400 dogs, mostly puppies, were buried there in the Persian period (about 2,500 years ago). As far as is known, this did not happen as part of an epidemic, but for some other unknown reason.
Israel is the only nation in the world that revived an ancient language
At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Eliezer Ben Yehuda, who is buried on the Mount of Olives, has revived the Hebrew language and turned it from a written language that was only used for religious or literary purposes into an official language, spoken as a mother tongue by millions of people. Although other languages in the world have been revived before, never was a language revived on such a scale or in such a short time.
The greatest historical discovery of the 20th century took place in Israel
The Qumran scrolls are one of the most famous archaeological finds in the world, but the buried scrolls were discovered entirely by chance by a Bedouin shepherd named Muhammad al-Dib in the fall of 1946. A-Dib was walking with his herd around the ancient city of Qumran when he lost one of his goats. When he was looking for it he found the opening of a cave, and while he didn’t find the goat there, but he did find the scrolls, which are now being presented in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Short historical facts
- Israel’s name was decided only two days before its announcement. Other names suggested were Zion, Yehuda, Tzabar, and Avar
- The Mount of Olives Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in the world that is still in operation. It includes tombs from the Second Temple period and even before that.
- Israel offered Albert Einstein to become its president in 1952, but he refused
- Israel participated in the Soccer World Cup only once – in 1970 in Mexico
- Israel is the only country in world history that bombed a nuclear reactor. In fact, it even bombed two: the reactor in Iraq in 1981 and the reactor in Syria in 2007.
Other fun facts about Israel
The world’s first dedicated protection product against jellyfish stings was invented in Israel
In a hot country like Israel, whose citizens are addicted to the sea, it is no wonder that jellyfish are a major nuisance – and it is even less surprising that it became the first country to actually invent a jellyfish repellent. An Israeli marine scientist named Dr. Amit Lotan developed in 2004 a product called Safe Sea, which provides almost complete protection (more than 90%) against the burns of the stingy marine animals.
Israel broke several unique Guinness records
Israelis broke several strange Guinness records over the year. Those include the world’s longest chain of gum wrappers, the world’s largest rocking horse, the world’s longest mustache, the most people performing the same magic at the same time, the world’s largest couples dancing event, and the most basketball-made shots by a rabbit per minute.
Israel is the reason why there are penalties in soccer
At the 1968 Mexico Olympics, the Israeli national team drew with Bulgaria, and at that time tied games were decided by a coin toss – in which Israel lost. This strange situation led a sports businessman named Yosef Dagan to write to FIFA and propose the penalty method. By the way, in the next Olympics in ’72, Israel was tied again, this time against Thailand. This time there were penalties – and Israel, of course, lost.
The roads in Israel are numbered based on their direction
The roads moving from north to south and vice versa in Israel bear even numbers (such as Road 2, road 6, and Road 90), while the roads from east to west and vice versa bear odd numbers (such as Road 1, road 3, road 5 ), making it more convenient for drivers to find their way through the country.
Short fun facts about Israel
Demographics
- Israel is the country with the most academic degrees per capita.
- Same for lawyers, museums, and start-ups.
- Israel leads all OECD countries in the number of children per family, with an average of 3.1. At the top of the most fertile cities in Israel is Modi’in Illit, with an average of 7.59 children per family.
Politics
- Israel is one of the only three democracies in the world that does not have a constitution, along with New Zealand and Great Britain
- Israel was the first country in the world to pass a law against the display of underweight models.
- Israel is the only country in the world – along with North Korea, and Sweden where the issue is not enforced – where it is mandatory for women to serve in the army.
Nature
- The Dead Sea holds the title of the lowest place in the world, while the Sea of Galilee also holds a similar record, and is the lowest freshwater reservoir in the world.
- Half a billion migratory birds pass through Israel every year, in spring and fall. This is the most in the world by a large margin.
- Israel is the only country in the world where the number of trees is increasing. This is possible thanks to the planting and afforestation that the Jewish National Fund has been maintaining for over a hundred years now.
- Cows in Israel produce more milk than in any other country. The annual amount of milk that each cow produces on average here is about 12,000 liters, while in the USA cows produce about 10,000 liters a year, in Europe about 8,000 liters, and in other developing countries less than 6,000 liters.
Food
- Israelis eat 30 million tons of hummus a year
- Israel is third in the world in chocolate consumption per capita, after Luxembourg and Iceland
- Tel Aviv is the city with the third highest concentration of sushi restaurants per square meter, behind Tokyo and New York.
