Districts of Israel

Districts of Israel
מְחוֹזוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל‎ (Hebrew)
محافظات إسرائيل (Arabic)
Districts of Israel; מְחוֹזוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל‎ (Hebrew); محافظات إسرائيل (Arabic)
	Districts of Israel Northern Haifa Central Tel Aviv Judea; and; Samaria; Area Jerusalem Southern v; t; ;
Category	Unitary State
Location	State of Israel
Number	6 Districts
Populations	1,032,800 (Haifa) – 2,196,900 (Central District)
Areas	190 km2 (72 sq mi) (Tel Aviv) – 14,190 km2 (5,477 sq mi) (Southern District)
Government	District government;
Subdivisions	City council, Local council, Regional council;

Population density by geographic region, sub-district and district in 2014 (thicker border indicates higher tier).

There are six main administrative districts of Israel, known in Hebrew as mekhozot (מְחוֹזוֹת‎; singular: makhoz מָחוֹז‎) and Arabic as mintaqah and fifteen sub-districts known as nafot (נָפוֹת‎; singular: nafa נָפָה‎). Each sub-district is further divided into cities, municipalities, 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 and so include all places under Israeli civilian rule including those Israeli-occupied territories 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 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.

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 Commissioner^[1] appointed by the Minister of the Interior. Each district also has a .

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.^[1]

Jerusalem District[]

Jerusalem District (Hebrew: מְחוֹז יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, Mehoz Yerushalayim)

Population (EoY 2018): 1,133,700^[2]

Area: 653 km²^[3]

District capital: Jerusalem.^[a]

Generali Building houses the offices of the Jerusalem District Administration

Northern District[]

Northern District (Hebrew: מְחוֹז הַצָּפוּן, Mehoz HaTzafon)

Population (EoY 2018): 1,448,100^[2]

Area: 4,473 km²^[3]

District capital: Nof Hagalil

Tzfat (sub-district) – population: 121,200
Kinneret (sub-district) – population: 112,900
Yizre'el (sub-district) – population: 520,100
Akko (sub-district) – population: 643,300
Golan (sub-district)^[b] – population: 50,600

Haifa District[]

Haifa District (Hebrew: מְחוֹז חֵיפָה, Mehoz Heifa)

Population (EoY 2018): 1,032,800^[2]

Area: 866 km²^[3]

District capital: Haifa

Haifa (sub-district) – population: 583,400
Hadera (sub-district) – population: 449,300

Central District[]

Central District (מְחוֹז הַמֶּרְכָּז‎, Mehoz HaMerkaz)

Population (EoY 2018): 2,196,100^[2]

Area: 1,294 km²^[3]

District capital: Ramla

Sharon (sub-district) – population: 477,400
Petah Tikva (sub-district) – population: 754,300
Ramla (sub-district) – population: 351,700
Rehovot (sub-district) – population: 612,600

Tel Aviv District[]

Tel Aviv District (Hebrew: מְחוֹז תֵּל־אָבִיב, Mehoz Tel Aviv)

Population (EoY 2018): 1,427,200^[2]

Area: 172 km²^[3]

District capital: Tel Aviv

Southern District[]

Southern District (Hebrew: מְחוֹז הַדָּרוֹם, Mehoz HaDarom)

Population (EoY 2018): 1,302,000^[2]

Area: 14,185 km²^[3]

District Capital: Beersheba

Ashkelon (sub district) – population: 551,200
Be'er Sheva (sub-district) – population: 750,700

Formerly Hof Aza Regional Council 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. Currently only the Coordination and Liaison Administration operates there.

Judea and Samaria Area[]

Judea and Samaria Area (Hebrew: אֵזוֹר יְהוּדָה וְשׁוֹמְרוֹן‬, Ezor Yehuda VeShomron)

Israeli Population (EoY 2018): 427,800^[2]

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

Largest city: Modi'in Illit

The name Judea and Samaria for this geographical area is based on terminology from the Hebrew and other sources relating to ancient Israel and Judah/Judea. The territory has been under Israeli control since the 1967 Six-Day War 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 United Nations and most nations.

Notes[]

^ a: This district includes areas captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed to Israel in the Jerusalem Law.
^ b: Occupied in the 1967 Six-Day War and internationally unrecognized annexed by Israel's Golan Heights Law.

References[]

^ ^a ^b Transfer of Power (District Commissioners and District Officers) Law, 5724-1964, Laws of the State of Israel vol. 18 no 38. (pp. 70-71)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Localities and Population, by District, Sub-District, Religion and Population Group" (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2019. p. 1. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Statistical Abstract – Geography (PDF) (Report) (in Hebrew). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2016. p. 15 (PDF p. 9). Retrieved December 24, 2017.

External links[]

Central Bureau of Statistics – detailed breakdown of each district, sub-district, and natural region.

[transfer_of_power_law-1] Transfer of Power (District Commissioners and District Officers) Law, 5724-1964, Laws of the State of Israel vol. 18 no 38. (pp. 70-71)

[cbs-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Localities and Population, by District, Sub-District, Religion and Population Group" (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2019. p. 1. Retrieved July 24, 2020.

[cbs-areas-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Statistical Abstract – Geography (PDF) (Report) (in Hebrew). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2016. p. 15 (PDF p. 9). Retrieved December 24, 2017.

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[2]

[3]

[a]

[b]

v t Administrative jurisdiction types of Israel
First level	Districts
Second level	Sub-districts
Third level	Municipalities City council Local council Regional council
Fourth level	Community settlement Jewish locality Kibbutz Moshav Moshav shitufi Rural locality

v t Articles on first-level administrative divisions of Asian countries
Sovereign states	Afghanistan Armenia² Azerbaijan¹ Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China Cyprus² Egypt¹ Georgia¹ India Indonesia¹ Iran Iraq Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan¹ North Korea province special city South Korea Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Oman Pakistan Palestine Philippines Qatar Russia¹ Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Syria Tajikistan Taiwan Thailand Timor-Leste (East Timor) Turkey¹ Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen¹
States with limited recognition	Abkhazia² Artsakh² Northern Cyprus² South Ossetia²
Table of administrative divisions by country ¹ Spans the conventional boundary between Asia and another continent. ² Considered European for cultural, political and historical reasons but is geographically in Western Asia.