The geography of Israel is very diverse, with desert conditions in the south, and snow-capped mountains in the north. Israel is located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea in West Asia. It is bounded to the north by Lebanon, the northeast by Syria, the east by Jordan and the West Bank, and to the southwest by Egypt. To the west of Israel is the Mediterranean Sea, which makes up the majority of Israel's coastline, and the Gaza Strip. Israel has a small coastline on the Red Sea in the south.
Israel's area is approximately , which includes of inland water. Israel stretches from north to south, and its width ranges from at its widest point to at its narrowest point. It has an Exclusive Economic Zone of .
The Israeli-occupied territories include the West Bank, , East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, . Geographical features in these territories will be noted as such. Of these areas, Israel has annexed East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, an act not recognized by the international community.
Southern Israel is dominated by the Negev desert, covering some , more than half of the country's total land area. The north of the Negev contains the Judean Desert, which, at its border with Jordan, contains the Dead Sea which, at is the lowest point on Earth. The inland area of central Israel is dominated by the Judean Hills of the West Bank, whilst the central and northern coastline consists of the flat and fertile Israeli coastal plain. Inland, the northern region contains the Mount Carmel mountain range, which is followed inland by the fertile Jezreel Valley, and then the hilly Galilee region. The Sea of Galilee is located beyond this region and is bordered to the east by the Golan Heights, a plateau bordered to the north by the Israeli-occupied part of the Mount Hermon massif, which includes the highest point under Israel's control, a peak of . The highest point in territory internationally recognized as Israeli is Mount Meron at .
Borders of Israel
Israel lies to the north of the equator around 31°30' north latitude and 34°45' east longitude.