Map of Asia highlighting the location of Israel
The Republic of Israel falls under the Western Asia region as defined by the United Nations geo-scheme. The country is located in the Middle East along the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. To the north of Israel is Lebanon, to the northeast is Syria, to the east is Jordan, and to the southwest is Egypt.
It is this location and its proximity to Northern Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, and Southern European nations, that gives rise to much confusion about the country’s continental identity.
The Bible speaks of the historic proximity between Israel and Egypt. After having received the commandments on Mt. Sinai, Moses leads the Israelites to Israel. The Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, is renamed the Land of Israel. In fact, Moses himself is believed to have married an Ethiopian woman. This historic affinity of Israel with Africa rather than Asia has led to questions about its Asian identity.
The contemporary cultural proximity of Israel to Mediterranean Europe (particularly Cyprus) and its political isolation in the Middle East also imparts a unique European character. In fact, Israel’s national football team participates in European tournaments and championships including FIFA. Apart from football, Israel is represented in most other European sporting events and also the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2014, Israel was also admitted as a member of the CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), one of the most prestigious scientific research organizations in the world.
Looking at the demographics of Israel too, one is inclined to feel that, culturally, the country is more closely aligned with Europe than with Asia. As of 2018, the country’s population is estimated to be about 8.883 million. English, Hebrew, Arabic, and Russian are the commonly spoken languages here.
About 74% of the population is Jewish. A vast majority of these Jews are Sabras or people of indigenous origin but there is also a significant presence of Jews of European origin in the country. In comparison, there are far fewer people of Asian or African origin living in the country.
While Israel is geographically a part of the Asian continent, culturally it is closer to European nations and is also greatly influenced by the African culture.
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