Palestine Map

Officially known as the State of Palestine, Palestine is a country that lies in the lap of Western Asia. The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War. The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is officially administered by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The West Bank is currently divided into 165 Palestinians, which are partly governed by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). The remainder, including 200 Israeli settlements, is fully governed by Israel as a result of the Oslo Accords of 1993–1995. Since 2007, Egypt and Israel have been enforcing a protracted blockade on the Gaza Strip, which is governed by the militant Islamic organization Hamas.

The state finds itself bordered by Israel for most of its areas, and it borders Jordan to the east and Egypt to the southwest. The landmass spans over a total area of 6020 square kilometers, having experienced several demographic and geographical changes from the ancient period to modern times. It has its capital located in the city of Jerusalem, whereas its administrative center lies Ramallah.

The world's oldest olive trees, which date back almost 4,000 years, can be found in Palestine. Many families have harvested from the same orchards for hundreds of years, and olive tree maintenance is a skill that is passed down through generations.

History:

As a result of being situated at the junction of three continents, Palestine comes ahead to present a conflicting history being at the crossroads of religion, culture, trade, and politics. The earliest evidence of settlements was brought about during the Bronze Age, whereby the Canaaites established city-states, being influenced by the adjoining Egyptian civilizations. These times were followed up by the Ottomans, who took to the throne during the year 1516 and remained in control till the early 20th century.

Yet their powers started weakening in the face of British and French colonial claims. In 1920, the Palestine region finally came to exist under British control with the implementation of the British Mandate for Palestine. During this time, the area was under a lot of tensions as Jewish and Arab nationalist movements took to the forefront and were marked by violence, riots, and frequent clashes between the two communities.

The 1930s witnessed the Arab Revolt, as the Arab nationalists took charge and demanded an end to Jewish immigration and the setting up of an Arab state. In response to this, the British extended their military forces to weaken the uprising and put an end to the protests. The Zionist groups later carried on this demand through the late 1930s and the 1940s and also looked forward to putting an end to British domination.

The years following this saw numerous peace agreements trying to put an end to large-scale dissent among the masses owing to tensions between Palestinians and the Israelis following the independence of Palestine. However, these talks were not of proper use, as even in the 21st century, hostilities remain between the two nations and are marked by sporadic periods of war and contestation. This adds to the spectrum of problems faced by the Palestinians along with contemporary issues such as occupation, settlement expansion, restricted movement, and economic conditions.

Culture:

Palestine has a very rich archaeological history, with about 12,000 sites in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. In addition to having many holy shrines and distinctive architecture, Palestine is the home of three monotheistic religions that regard the city of Jerusalem as a holy city.

Since prehistoric times, numerous cultures have had an impact on the region, including Palestine. During the Eastern Roman Empire's fourth century CE, the West Bank saw the emergence of historic churches like Burqin and Abud.

Similar to this, the field of architecture has also been influenced by the tinge of various civilizations that include Islamic, Byzantine, Crusader, and the Ottoman. The main forms of architecture are visible through the presence of mosques, mausoleums, and madrasas.

Language:

Arabs in Palestine speak a distinct dialect of Arabic as their first language. It is a subgroup of Levantine Arabic and is spoken in Palestine by Arab Israeli citizens and by Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and other parts of the Occupied Territories, as well as in the diaspora around the world. The dialect of Arabic spoken by Palestinian refugees outside of Palestine, however, might be distinct. Since the early 20th century, Hebrew has become more prevalent in many Israeli settlements throughout the West Bank. As a result of emigration from Ethiopia, however, Russian and Amharic have also begun to appear. Additionally, other European languages were brought by other Jewish immigrants.

Geography:

Levantine regions are those that the State of Palestine claims. Israel's northern and eastern borders, Egypt's southern border, and the Mediterranean Sea's western border are all about the Gaza Strip. Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank's northern, southern, and western borders are all about the West Bank. Because Israel separates the two enclaves that make up the area claimed by the State of Palestine, they do not share a physical border. By land area, these regions would make up the 164th-largest nation on earth. Palestine has several environmental problems, such as those that the Gaza Strip faces, like the desiccation and salinization of freshwater and the contamination of underground water resources due to sewage treatment. Numerous similar issues exist in the West Bank, despite being more recent.

FAQs

Q1: What is the official language of Palestine?

Arabic is the official language of Palestine and continues to be spoken by the majority of the population in the country.

Q2: What is the capital of Palestine?

Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine.

Q3: What is the currency of Palestine?

New Israeli shekel is the currency of Palestine.

Q4: What is the climate in Palestine?

With warm to hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters with rainfall ranging from 100 to 700 mm3, the Palestinian Territories primarily have an eastern Mediterranean climate.

Q5: Is the nation a safe place to travel to?

The safety of the nation depends upon the ongoing political and social conditions of the nation. In accordance with this, though Bethlehem and Ramallah are usually frequented by tourists, one must be cautious while traveling to the nation.