Tel Aviv-Yafo

Tel Aviv-Yafo is Israel's major metropolitan centre; almost one third of the country's population live here.

City in Israel, situated on the coast of Sharon Plain, 77 km/48 mi northwest of Jerusalem; population (2002 est) 347,800. Industries include textiles, chemicals, sugar, printing, publishing, and tourism. Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 as a Jewish residential area in the Arab town of Jaffa (or Yafo), with which it was combined in 1950; their ports were superseded in 1965 by Ashdod to the south. It is regarded by the United Nations (UN) as the capital of Israel. The combined city is a major tourist centre and the home of Israel's only stock exchange; other industries include textiles, engineering, motor vehicles, diamond polishing, publishing, and electronic equipment.

Founded in 1909 by Russian Jewish immigrants, on bare sand dunes to the north of Jaffa, Tel Aviv (Hebrew for ‘Hill of Spring’) was intended only as a suburb of the latter. It became a municipality in its own right in 1921, and absorbed its smaller neighbour in 1950. Tel Aviv was the capital of Israel from the state's declaration of independence until 1950. Beginning with 60 small villas, the municipal area of Tel Aviv grew rapidly, and now houses almost one in four of the country's inhabitants. By 1930 it had become Israel's leading economic centre. During the Gulf War of 1991, Tel Aviv became a target for Iraqi missiles as part of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's strategy to break up the Arab alliance against him.

Tel Aviv-Yafo is Israel's leading educational and cultural centre: Tel Aviv University and the Bar-Ilan religious University were both founded in 1953 and there are a number of theological institutes. The city is also the home of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israeli Opera, the state ballet, a number of theatres including the Habima National Theatre (1937), as well as a museum of ancient glass ('ha Aretz').