I could spend a week sharing fun facts about Israel.  The land is so unique, the people are so gifted, and the nation is perhaps the most innovative in the world.  But, I’ll end our “Fun Facts” segment with this final post of 30 random, but interesting, fun facts.  Enjoy!

1. Israel is only 1/6 of 1% of the landmass in the Middle East and 1/1000th of the world’s population, yet all the following are true of Israel!
2. Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to population in the world.
3. Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation (by a large margin).
4. Israel has one of the highest rates in the world of patents filed.
5. Per capita, Israel has the largest number of start-up companies in the world. (Second in number only to the US…whose population is 40X that of Israel.)
6. According to industry officials, Israel designed the airline industry’s most impenetrable flight security. U.S. officials now look to Israel for advice on how to handle airborne security threats.
7. Israel has more museums per capita than any other country.
8. An Israeli company developed a computerized system for ensuring proper   administration of medications, thus removing human error from medical treatment. (Every year in U.S. hospitals 7,000 patients die from treatment mistakes.)
9. Israel’s Givun imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so small it fits inside a pill.
10. In response to serious water shortages, Israeli engineers and agriculturalists developed a revolutionary drip irrigation system to minimize the amount of water used to grow crops.
11. Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per capita.
12. Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the U.S., over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany.
13. The cell phone was developed in Israel by Motorola, which has its largest development center in Israel.
14. Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.
15. The technology for AOL Instant Messenger was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.
16. An Israeli company was the first to develop and install a large-scale solar-powered and fully functional electricity generating plant, in southern California’s Mojave desert.
17. In many Israeli bus stops, you can find a box for tzedakah (charitable giving).
18. There are more than 40 kosher McDonald’s in Israel.
19. Israel has fought seven wars since its establishment in 1948.
20. Developed by Major Uzi Gaf, more than 10 million Uzi machine guns have been build since 1948.
21. 34 political parties participated in Israel’s 2013 elections.
22. Israel is the only country in the world to revive an unspoken language.
23. The first baby monitor was created in Israel in 1991.
24. The Israeli nonprofit Save a Child’s Heart provides free open-heart procedures to children worldwide. 49% of patients are from Palestinian communities.
25. Israelis consume the most fruits and vegetables per capita of any country in the world.
26. Cherry tomatoes were originally engineered in Israel in 1973.
27. Kosher stamp glue?! Only in Israel.
28. At 695 ft. below sea level, the Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake in the world.
29. The Dead Sea is 1,373 ft. below sea level and is the lowest place on earth.
30. Eilat is one of the best bird watching sites in the world, with the greatest concentration of migrating birds passing through Israel each year.

That tiny land is filled with magnificent evidence of God’s favor and grace!

Stay tuned.  In days to come I plan to share some geopolitical issues that every American should be aware of!

Thanks for stopping by!