14 May: Israel was proclaimed a state

Israel was proclaimed a state on this date in 1948. 10 things you might not know about Israel:

1. More than half of the land area of Israel is desert. The Negev desert covers 16,000 square kilometres (6,178 sq mi).
2. Israel is 290 miles (470 km.) in length and 85 miles (135 km.) in width at its widest point and 15 km (9 mi) wide at its narrowest. At 1,208 metres (3,963 ft) above sea level, Mount Meron is the highest peak in Israel. Its lowest point is also the lowest point on Earth, the Dead Sea, at −417 m (−1,368 ft). The Sea of Galilee, .212 km below sea level, is the lowest freshwater lake in the world as well as the largest in Israel. The longest river is the River Jordan at 320 kilometres (199 mi).
3. Israel is the only Jewish state in the world, and therefore the only one where official school and work holidays are determined by the Jewish calendar. Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, is the official day of rest, and it is possible for people who observe the Sabbath to buy cheaper car insurance which doesn't cover Saturdays. The glue on Israeli stamps is kosher.
4. It's also the only state in the world to have revived a historic language, Hebrew, and made it one of the official languages of the nation. The other official language is Arabic.
5. Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952 by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. While Einstein was deeply moved by this gesture, he declined.
6. Israel is home to the largest ancient cemetery for Dogs, at Ashkelon, and also the world’s oldest continuously used cemetery for people, the Mount of Olives.
7. Jericho is the oldest continuously inhabited town in the world.
8. The martial art of Krav Maga was developed in Israel for military personnel and the police force. It consists of a wide combination of techniques from Aikido, Jujutsu, Boxing, Judo, Wrestling and street fighting skills.
9. Israel’s national bird is the hoopoe and the national flower is the Cyclamen persicum.
10. The city of Beersheba has the highest number of chess grandmasters per capita in the world.