Jerusalem

Jerusalem ירושלים (Hebrew) القُدس (Arabic)
City
Old City from the Mount of Olives with Al-Aqsa Mosque (left) and Dome of the Rock (right) on the Temple Mount Tower of David Zion Square Chords Bridge Mamilla Mall Western Wall Shrine of the Book Holy Sepulchre
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  Ir ha-Kodesh (The Holy City), Bayt al-Maqdis (House of the Holiness)
Jerusalem
Coordinates: 31°47′N 35°13′E / 31.783°N 35.217°E / 31.783; 35.217
Administered by	Israel Palestinian Authority
Israeli district	Jerusalem
Gihon Spring settlement	3000-2800 BCE
City of David	c. 1000 BCE
Present Old City walls built	1541
Reunification	1967
Jerusalem Law	1980
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
• Body	Jerusalem Municipality
• Mayor	Nir Barkat (Likud)
Area
• City	125,156 dunams (125.156 km2 or 48.323 sq mi)
• Metro	652,000 dunams (652 km2 or 252 sq mi)
Elevation	754 m (2,474 ft)
Population  (2017)[1]
• City	901,302
• Density	7,200/km2 (19,000/sq mi)
• Metro [2]	1,253,900
Demonyms	Jerusalemite (Yerushalmi) Qudsi/Maqdisi
Demographics (2016) [3]
• Jewish	64%
• Arab	35%
• others	1%
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (IST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (IDT)
Postal code	9XXXXXX
Area code	+972-2
HDI (2017)	0.704[4] – high
Website	jerusalem.muni.il
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iii, vi
Designated	1981
Reference no.	148
Region	Jerusalem District
Endangered	1982–present

Jerusalem (/dʒəˈruːsələm/; Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushaláyim; Arabic: القُدس al-Quds or Bayt al-Maqdis, also spelled Baitul Muqaddas)^[a] is one of the oldest cities in the world that people have lived in continuously. It is important to many major religions. Jews consider Jerusalem a holy city because it was their religious and political center during Biblical times and was the place where the Temple of God stood. Christians consider Jerusalem holy because many events in the life of Jesus took place there. Muslims believe that Muhammad rose to heaven from Jerusalem, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the first Qibla of Muslims after Mecca.

Jerusalem is the capital city of both Palestine and Israel,^[5] under their laws. Most other countries disagree. ^[b] Most countries have their embassies with Israel in Tel Aviv.^[source?]

Jerusalem is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a hilly city with many valleys around it.

1. ↑ "List of localities, in Alphabetical order" (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
2. ↑ "Localities, Population and Density per Sq. Km., by Metropolitan Area and Selected Localities". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
3. ↑ "Facts and Figures". jerusalem.muni.il. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016.
4. ↑ Sub-national HDI. "Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org.
5. ↑ "Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel", 1980