Flag of Israel

What the flag means

• 🔵Blue stripes — based on the Jewish prayer shawl (tallit)
• ✡️Star of David — symbol of the Jewish people

Design set by: ⁨חוק הדגל, הסמל והמנון המדינה, תש"ט–1949, סעיף 1(א)⁩ · Adopted 1948

Highlights

• 🕌 The holy city of Jerusalem
• 💡 Innovation of the 'Startup Nation'
• 🌊 Floating in the Dead Sea
• 📜 Deep religious and historic roots
• 🌱 Farming tech that greened deserts

Quick facts

Region

Asia · Western Asia

Population

10,122,800 people (2025)

Area

20,770 km²

Capital

Jerusalem

Languages

Hebrew, Arabic

Currency

Israeli new shekel (ILS)

Organizations

United Nations, OECD

Neighboring countries

• Egypt
• Jordan
• Lebanon
• Palestine
• Syria

Land neighbors, approximated from simplified map outlines.

Symbols in History (2)

Coats of arms and emblems whose historic seat lies within this country’s present-day territory.

• 

  Arms of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

  Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem · 1099–1291 · kingdom arms

  OriginThe coat with a gold Jerusalem cross on a silver field is attributed to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. This combination of metal on metal departs from the usual rules of heraldry, and reading the five crosses as the five wounds of Christ is an interpretation added by later heraldry and devotion.

  DescriptionOn a silver field five gold crosses are drawn. The large central cross has its four arm ends spread into T shapes, and a small cross is placed in each of the four spaces between them.

  Source: Gemellion (Hand Basin) with the Arms of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Medieval Art and The Cloisters; acc. 49.56.8) · Image source: Wikimedia Commons — Arms of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.svg · Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Heralder · Cross by Katepanomegas

• 

  Red cross emblem of the Knights Templar

  Kingdom of Jerusalem and all of Europe · 1119–1312 · Knightly order insignia

  OriginThe red cross on a white mantle is the chief emblem of the Knights Templar, but the shape of the cross was not always one fixed pattee form.

  DescriptionA single red cross on a white field, its four arms widening outward and running straight to the edges. It reproduces the mark the Knights Templar wore, a red cross over white.

  Source: Sigilla — sceau type « Templiers d'Aquitaine - sceau - 1283 » · Sigilla — base numérique des sceaux, IRHT / CNRS · Image source: Wikimedia Commons — Cross of the Knights Templar.svg