There are six main administrative districts of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, known in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

as ''mekhozot'' (; singular: ''makhoz'' ) and Arabic as ''

mintaqah Minṭaqah ( ; plural ''manāṭiq'' ) is a first-level administrative division in Saudi Arabia and Chad and for a second-level administrative division in several other Arab countries. It is often translated as ''region'' or ''district'', but th ...

'' and fifteen sub-districts known as ''nafot'' (; singular: ''nafa'' ). Each sub-district is further divided into

natural regions A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and f ...

,Key to the Codes in the Maps - Districts, Sub-Districts and Natural Regions 2018
Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, 2021

cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

, and regional councils it contains. The present division into districts was established in 1953, to replace the divisions inherited from the British Mandate. It has remained substantially the same ever since; a second proclamation of District boundaries issued in 1957 – which remains in force as of 2022 – only affirmed the existing boundaries in place. The figures in this article are based on numbers from the

Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics ( he, הלשכה המרכזית לסטטיסטיקה, ''HaLishka HaMerkazit LiStatistika''; ar, دائرة الإحصاء المركزية الإسرائيلية), abbreviated CBS, is an Israeli government ...

and so include all places under Israeli civilian rule including those

Israeli-occupied territories Israeli-occupied territories are the lands that were captured and occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967. While the term is currently applied to the Palestinian territories and the Golan Heights, it has also been used to refer to a ...

where this is the case. Therefore, the Golan sub-district and its four natural regions are included in the number of sub-districts and natural regions even though it is not recognized by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

or the international community as Israeli territory. Similarly, the population figure below for the Jerusalem District was calculated including East Jerusalem whose annexation by Israel is similarly not recognized by the United Nations and the international community. The Judea and Samaria Area, however, is not included in the number of districts and sub-districts as Israel has not applied its civilian jurisdiction in that part of the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

Administration

The districts have no elected institutions of any kind, although they do possess councils composed of representatives of central government ministries and local authorities for planning and building purposes. Their administration is undertaken by a District CommissionerTransfer of Power (District Commissioners and District Officers) Law, 5724-1964, Laws of the State of Israel vol. 18 no 38. (pp. 70-71)
/ref> appointed by the

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

. Each district also has a District Court. Since the District Commissioners are considered part of the Ministry of the Interior's bureaucracy, they can only exercise functions falling within the purview of other ministries if the appropriate Minister authorizes them. This authorization is rarely granted, as other government ministries and institutions (for example, the Ministry of Health and the Police) establish their own divergent systems of districts.

Jerusalem District

Jerusalem District The Jerusalem District ( he, מחוז ירושלים; ar, منطقة القدس) is one of the six administrative districts of Israel. The district capital is Jerusalem. The Jerusalem District has a land area of 652 km2. The population of ...

( he, מְחוֹז יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, ''Mehoz Yerushalayim'') :Population ( 2018): 1,133,700 :Area: 653 km² District capital:

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. Natural regions: * 111

Judean Mountains The Judaean Mountains, or Judaean Hills ( he, הרי יהודה, translit=Harei Yehuda) or the Hebron Mountains ( ar, تلال الخليل, translit=Tilal al-Khalīl, links=, lit=Hebron Mountains), is a mountain range in Palestine and Israel wh ...

* 112

Judean Foothills Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous Latin, and the modern-day name of the mountainous sou ...

Northern District

Northern District ( he, מְחוֹז הַצָּפוּן, ''Mehoz HaTzafon'') :Population ( 2018): 1,448,100 :Area: 4,473 km² District capital:

Nof Hagalil Nof HaGalil ( he, נוֹף הַגָּלִיל, lit. ''View of Galilee''; ar, نوف هچليل) is a city in the Northern District of Israel with a population of . Nof HaGalil was founded in 1957 as Nazareth Illit ( he, נָצְרַת עִלִ� ...

* Tzfat (sub-district)population: 121,200 **211

Hula Valley The Hula Valley ( he, עמק החולה, translit. ''Emek Ha-Ḥula''; also transliterated as Huleh Valley, ar, سهل الحولة) is an agricultural region in northern Israel with abundant fresh water, which used to be Lake Hula, prior to ...

**212 Eastern Upper Galilee **213 Hazor Region **214 Central Lower Galilee * Kinneret (sub-district)population: 112,900 **221 Kinerot **222 Eastern Lower Galilee * Yizre'el (sub-district)population: 520,100 **231 Bet She’an Valley **232

Harod Valley The Harod Valley ( he, עמק חרוד, Emek Harod) is a valley in the Northern District of Israel. It is the eastern part of the Jezreel Valley,a transitional zone that extends to the Beit She'an Valley. From south it locked by Mount Gilboa and ...

**233 Kokhav Plateau **234 Yizre’el Valley **235 Yoqne’am Region **236 Menashe Plateau **237 Nazareth-Tir’an Mountains * Akko (sub-district)population: 643,300 **241 Shefar’am Region **242 Karmi’el Region **243 Yehi’am Region **244 Elon Region **245 Nahariyya Region **246 Akko Region *'' Golan (sub-district)''population: 50,600 ** 291 Hermon Region ** 292 Northern Golan ** 293 Middle Golan ** 294 Southern Golan

Haifa District

Haifa District Haifa District ( he, מחוז חיפה, ''Mehoz Ḥeifa''; ar, منطقة حيفا) is an administrative district surrounding the city of Haifa, Israel. The district is one of the seven administrative districts of Israel, and its capital is Ha ...

( he, מְחוֹז חֵיפָה, ''Mehoz Heifa'') :Population ( 2018): 1,032,800 :Area: 866 km² District capital:

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

* Haifa (sub-district)population: 583,400 **311

Haifa Region Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

* Hadera (sub-district)population: 449,300 **321 Karmel Coast **322 Zikhron Ya’aqov Region **323 Alexander Mountain **324 Hadera Region

Central District

Central District (, ''Mehoz HaMerkaz'') :Population ( 2018): 2,196,100 :Area: 1,294 km² District capital:

Ramla Ramla or Ramle ( he, רַמְלָה, ''Ramlā''; ar, الرملة, ''ar-Ramleh'') is a city in the Central District of Israel. Today, Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with both a significant Jewish and Arab populations. The city was f ...

* Sharon (sub-district)population: 477,400 **411 Western Sharon **412 Eastern Sharon * Petah Tikva (sub-district)population: 754,300 **421 Southern Sharon **422 Petah Tiqwa Region * Ramla (sub-district)population: 351,700 **431 Modi’in Region **432 Ramla Region * Rehovot (sub-district)population: 612,600 **441 Rehovot Region **442 Rishon LeZiyyon Region

Tel Aviv District

Tel Aviv District The Tel Aviv District ( he, מָחוֹז תֵּל אָבִיב; ar, منطقة تل أبيب) is the smallest and most densely populated of the six administrative districts of Israel with a population of 1.35 million residents. It is 98.9% Jewi ...

( he, מְחוֹז תֵּל־אָבִיב, ''Mehoz Tel Aviv'') :Population ( 2018): 1,427,200 :Area: 172 km² District capital:

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...

* 511 Tel Aviv Region * 512 Ramat Gan Region * 513 Holon Region

Southern District

Southern District ( he, מְחוֹז הַדָּרוֹם, ''Mehoz HaDarom'') :Population ( 2018): 1,302,000 :Area: 14,185 km² District Capital:

Beersheba Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...

* Ashkelon (sub district)population: 551,200 **611 Mal’akhi Region **612 Lakhish Region **613 Ashdod Region **614 Ashqelon Region * Be'er Sheva (sub-district)population: 750,700 **621 Gerar Region **622 Besor Region **623 Be’er Sheva Region **624 Dead Sea Region **625 Arava Region **626 Northern Negev Mountain **627 Southern Negev Mountain Formerly the

Hof Aza Regional Council The Hof Aza Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית חוף עזה, "Gaza Coast Regional Council") was a regional council of Israel until 2005 when its residents were evicted from their homes and the area was liquidated as part of Israel's ...

with a population of around 10,000 Israelis was part of this district, but the Israeli communities that constituted it were evacuated when the disengagement plan was implemented in the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

. Since the withdrawal, the Coordination and Liaison Administration operates there.

Judea and Samaria Area

Judea and Samaria Area The Judea and Samaria Area ( he, אֵזוֹר יְהוּדָה וְשׁוֹמְרוֹן, translit=Ezor Yehuda VeShomron; ar, يهودا والسامرة, translit=Yahūda wa-s-Sāmara) is an administrative division of Israel. It encompasses th ...

( he, אֵזוֹר יְהוּדָה וְשׁוֹמְרוֹן , ''Ezor Yehuda VeShomron'') :Israeli Population ( 2018): 427,800 :

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

/ Bedouin population: 40,000. (excludes Area A and B). Largest city:

Modi'in Illit Modi'in Illit ( he, מוֹדִיעִין עִלִּית; ar, موديعين عيليت, lit. "Upper Modi'in") is a Haredi Israeli settlement and city in the West Bank, situated midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Modi'in Illit was granted c ...

The name ''Judea and Samaria'' for this geographical area is based on terminology from the

and other sources relating to ancient

and Judah/

Judea Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous Latin, and the modern-day name of the mountainous sou ...

. The territory has been under Israeli control since the 1967

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Ju ...

but not annexed by Israel, pending negotiations regarding its status. It is part of historic Israel, which leads to politically contentious issues. However, it is not recognized as part of the State of Israel by the

and most nations. There are no sub-districts and no natural regions in the Judea and Samaria Area.

Notes

* *

References

External links

Central Bureau of Statistics
detailed breakdown of each district, sub-district, and natural region. {{Articles on second-level administrative divisions of Asian countries Subdivisions of Israel Israel, Districts Israel 1 Districts, Israel Israel geography-related lists