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Tour of Israel: Tel Aviv
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Tel Aviv is Israel's second largest city after Jerusalem. It is located on the
Mediterranean Sea, and south of the mouth of the Yarkon River.
Tel Aviv is Israel's main commercial, financial and manufacturing center. Among
its diverse products are processed food, textiles, clothing, chemicals, metal
and wood items, motor vehicles, and electrical and electronic equipment. Also
important are diamond cutting and printing and publishing. Tel Aviv is also an
important tourist center as the city is almost entirely fronted by beaches and
enjoys warm weather.
To the south of Tel Aviv lies the former Arab town of
Jaffa (ancient Joppa) with old buildings and winding streets. The site of Jaffa
has been occupied for nearly 4000 years. During ancient times it was besieged
by the Egyptians, Persians, and Greeks. It was destroyed by the Romans during
the Jewish war of AD 68. Jaffa was captured by Crusaders in 1126 and again in
1191 and in each case was reconquered by the Muslims.
In 1909 Jewish settlers established Tel Aviv (Hebrew for "hill of spring") on
a sand dune north of Jaffa. The new suburb grew slowly, first under Ottomon rule
and then under British rule. Following anti-Jewish riots in Jaffa in 1921, the
Jewish population of that town immigrated to Tel Aviv, increasing its population
considerably. The rise of the Nazis in Germany led to Jewish immigration to Palestine,
and the population of Tel Aviv increased from 45,000 to 145,000 between 1931 and
1936.
During Israel's War of Independence, Jewish forces took control of Jaffa
and most of its Arab population fled. In 1950 Tel Aviv and Jaffa were incorporated
as a single municipality. The city's period of greatest growth was during the
early 1950s, when large numbers of Jewish immigrants, mainly from Europe, swelled
its population. According to a 1993 estimate, the population of the city of Tel
Aviv is 357,400.
Information from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and Microsoft's
Encarta '95.
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~ Lisa
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