50 Fun Facts About Palestine

Which two separate territories make up the land claimed by the State of Palestine?

The two enclaves have no border with each other and would together be the world's 163rd largest country by land area.

Which city serves as the de facto administrative centre of the Palestinian government?

It sits about 10 km from Jerusalem, the proclaimed capital, and its Muqata compound houses the state ministries.

What is the total land area claimed by the State of Palestine?

With a population above five million, that gives a density of roughly 827 people per square kilometre.

Which Greek historian gave the earliest surviving written use of 'Palestine' as a region, in the 5th century BCE?

He described a 'district of Syria, called Palaistínē'; the name is a cognate of the biblical Peleshet, or Philistia.

The name Palestine is generally accepted to be a cognate of which biblical name?

The Philistine pentapolis of five city-states, including Gaza, Ashdod and Ashkelon, is first hinted at in an Egyptian text of about 1100 BCE.

Which West Bank city is described as the lowest city in the world?

It lies near the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth, and beside the Wadi Qelt desert valley with its cliff-side St. George Monastery.

Roughly what share of Palestine's land is given over to growing olive trees?

Jerusalem is home to what is claimed as the world's largest olive tree, and olive oil is one of the country's notable exports.

What is the highest peak in the West Bank, rising 1,030 metres in the southern hills?

Until the 19th century Hebron was the highest city in the Middle East.

Besides Israel and Egypt, which island country does Palestine share a maritime border with?

The Gaza Strip is the only part of the territory with a coastline, on the Mediterranean.

Which West Bank desert valley, home to the cliff-side St. George Monastery, is a well-known nature reserve?

Palestine has no officially recognised national parks, and the zoo in Qalqilya is the only one still operating in the country.

What is the average high temperature in Gaza during July and August?

Gaza has a hot semi-arid climate with only about 116 mm of rain a year, almost all of it between November and March.

In which year did the League of Nations grant Britain the mandate to govern Palestine?

British forces under General Allenby had captured Jerusalem in 1917, ending Ottoman rule in the city.

After the 1948 war, which country occupied and later annexed the West Bank?

Egypt took the Gaza Strip; the West Bank annexation was ratified in 1950 but rejected by the international community.

In which year was the Palestine Liberation Organization founded?

It was set up in the West Bank while that territory was under Jordanian control, and moved to Jordan and then Lebanon after the 1967 war.

On what date did the PLO declare the establishment of the State of Palestine?

Egypt and Jordan recognised it within a month, and the UN General Assembly began using the designation 'Palestine' instead of 'PLO'.

Which 1993 agreements between Israel and the PLO created the Palestinian Authority?

Yasser Arafat was elected president of the new authority in 1994, and the first general elections followed in 1996.

Under the Oslo II Accord, the West Bank was divided into how many areas?

Area A is under Palestinian administration, Area B under joint security control, and Area C, about 60% of the West Bank, is administered by the Israeli Civil Administration.

Which two people attended the inaugural ceremony of Gaza's airport, built in the Oslo years?

It was the country's second airport after Jerusalem International; the Gaza airport was destroyed in an airstrike in 2001.

On 29 November 2012, the UN General Assembly upgraded Palestine to what status?

The vote was 138 to 9 with 41 abstentions, and the status is equivalent to that of the Holy See.

By September 2025, how many of the UN's 193 members had recognised the State of Palestine?

Sweden in 2013 became the first EU member outside the former communist bloc to recognise it; Spain, Norway and Armenia followed in 2024.

Which secular party, founded by Yasser Arafat, ran the Palestinian Authority from 1994?

Fatah held the presidency and most PA posts from its creation; the Gaza Strip came under separate Hamas control after a 2007 takeover.

Who became president of the State of Palestine in 2005?

The last legislative elections were held in 2006; Mohammad Mustafa became prime minister in 2024.

Which Palestinian city produces over 40% of the national economy and is famous for glass?

It also has what is described as the most advanced printing press in the Middle East and is surrounded by stone quarries.

Which West Bank city is noted for its traditional olive-oil soap?

The same city is the birthplace of a famous cheese-filled dessert.

What is Palestine's largest export category by value?

Stone makes up 13.3% of exports, ahead of furniture, plastics and iron and steel; Jerusalem stone quarried in the West Bank clads many of the city's buildings.

The town of Rawabi is home to the largest what in the Middle East and the Arab world?

Rawabi is a planned city in the West Bank; the Palestine Trade Tower in Ramallah is the country's tallest building.

Which small religious community of about 350 people is concentrated around Mount Gerizim?

Because of the similarities with Judaism they are sometimes called 'the Jews of Palestine'.

Which West Bank towns hold the largest concentrations of Palestinian Christians?

Most Palestinian Christians belong to Eastern or Oriental Orthodox churches, including Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic.

Which city was named Arab Capital of Culture in 2009?

Bethlehem took part in the Arab Capital of Culture programme in 2020, and Banksy's street art in Bethlehem is among the country's best-known modern artworks.

Which line dance, danced to the mijwiz and tablah, is a fixture of Palestinian weddings?

Dancers add rhythmic handclapping, and the songs foster a sense of community at celebrations and cultural events.

Which Palestinian singer won Arab Idol and became known for renditions of traditional songs?

Palestinian hip-hop acts such as DAM and Shadia Mansour have also gained international recognition.

Which stringed instrument, alongside the qanun zither, is central to traditional Palestinian music?

Folk songs typically deal with love, longing and daily life.

Which 2005 Palestinian film is listed among the country's best-known alongside Divine Intervention and Omar?

Documentary 5 Broken Cameras by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi also drew critical acclaim.

In which year did Palestine first take part in the Olympic Games?

Its athletes have since competed in athletics, swimming, judo and taekwondo, and weightlifter Mohammed Hamada won a junior world title in 2022.

Which venue, named after a Palestinian politician, is Palestine's largest and hosts its national football team?

Football is the most popular sport, and the Palestine Cup winner represents the country in the AFC Cup.

Which chicken dish, roasted over taboon bread with onions, sumac and pine nuts, comes from the Jenin area?

Its neighbour on the menu, maqluba, is an upside-down rice and eggplant casserole that dates back to the 13th century.

The famous shredded-pastry-and-cheese dessert kanafeh originated in which city?

It is now eaten across the Arab world and Turkey, and its top layer is usually dyed orange.

What is the staple food of the Gaza Strip, thanks to its position on the Mediterranean coast?

Gazan cooking is influenced by Egypt and leans on chili peppers, dill seeds and garlic.

Palestinian tea is usually flavoured with mint or which other herb?

Coffee, usually Turkish or Arabic, is drunk in the morning and through the day, while tea is for the evening.

Which folded pancake dessert is reserved for Ramadan and sold by street vendors across Palestinian towns?

Ramadan iftar traditionally begins with soup made from lentils, vegetables or freekeh.

Which Bedouin-rooted lamb-and-rice dish topped with jameed yogurt is cooked for West Bank weddings and holidays?

Jameed is a thick, dried goat's-milk yogurt that gives the dish its distinctive tang.

Which Muslim leader's 1187 conquest ended almost a century of Crusader control of Jerusalem?

The Crusaders had set up the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1099; the Ottomans later took the region in 1516.

At which 1260 battle did the Mamluks push back the first Mongol advance into Palestine?

The Mongol raiders were led by the Nestorian Christian general Kitbuqa.

After the 7th-century Muslim conquest, Palestine became a military district known by what name?

It sat within Bilad al-Sham, or Greater Syria, and the population remained majority Christian until Saladin's era.

Which zoo was the only one still operating in Palestine in the early 2020s?

Gaza Zoo closed because of poor conditions; Palestine has no officially recognised national parks.

Under the Oslo II Accord, Area A makes up roughly what share of the West Bank?

Area B is 22 percent under mixed control; Area C, 60 percent, is run by the Israeli Civil Administration.

Which company discovered the Gaza Marine natural gas field in 1999?

Yasser Arafat called the discovery a 'Gift from God'; the field lies about 32 km offshore.

A 2021 proposal would redevelop which airport as a binational Israeli-Palestinian facility?

Jerusalem International and Gaza International airports were both destroyed early in the second intifada.

What agreement with Israel bars the Palestinian Authority from issuing its own currency?

By the mid-2020s 14 banks operated in Palestine, down from 21 in 2000 through mergers.

Which is the largest institution of higher learning in Palestine?

It is in Nablus; Al-Quds and Birzeit are the next largest.