As of 2024, there are 4.4 million people living in Tel Aviv.[2] Tel Aviv is a part of an area of cities calledGush Dan, which is the largestmetropolitan area of Israel. There is around 3.4 million people living in thisurban area.[3]
In 1909,Jewish people started building Tel Aviv northeast of Jaffa, making it the first city founded by Jews in modern times. Tel Aviv was part of Jaffa at first, but it became a separatetown in 1921. Tel Aviv grew quickly as Jewish immigrants arrived, mainly from Europe.
It was Israel's firstcapital when the nation was established in 1948. The capital was moved toJerusalem in 1949, but the Israeli Ministry of Defense and many foreignembassies stayed in Tel Aviv. Most Israeliministries that are located in Jerusalem have offices in Tel Aviv. The nationalintelligence agencies of Israel,Mossad (external security),Aman (military intelligence) andShin Bet (internal security) also have theirheadquarters in Tel Aviv.
In 1950, Tel Aviv and Jaffa (calledYafo in Hebrew) joined to create the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo. Tel Aviv-Yafo is theofficial name of the city, but it is almost always called Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv continued to grow quickly in the 1950s and 1960s. The fast growth of the Tel Aviv area caused problems such asair pollution,slums, andtraffic that took until the 2000s to fix. Traffic is still a problem. That is why theTel Aviv Light Rail is being built to ease the road traffic. Most of the people of Tel Aviv live inapartment buildings.
During thePersian Gulf War of 1991,Iraq fired about 25missiles toward Tel Aviv. Several missiles and fallingdebris struck residential areas in or around Tel Aviv. Two people were killed, and about 7,500 apartments were damaged.
Thecultural center of Tel Aviv is a downtown intersection of streets at Dizengoff Circle. Fashionable shops and sidewalkcafes line the nearby streets. The 37-story Shalom Tower is in the city'sfinancialdistrict, several blocks south of Dizengoff Circle. It is the tallest building in Israel. The southwestern part of the city was once the separate town of Jaffa. Jaffa, an ancientport fromBiblical times, has manyhistoric place that have been restored byarchaeologists. Jaffa also has manyart galleries, cafes, restaurants, and nightclubs.
The Israeliopera, and Habima Theater, Israel's nationaltheater, was are in Tel Aviv.[4] Tel Aviv is home to a number ofdance centers and companies. The Batsheva Dance Company, a contemporary dance group, as well as the Bat-Dor Dance Company and the Israel Ballet are headquartered in Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv's center for modern and classical dance is the Suzanne Dellal Center.[5]
Museums in Tel Aviv include Haaretz Museum and the Tel Aviv Art Museum.
Tel Aviv is also described as theLGBTQIA+ capital of Israel with 25% of the population beinggay and having the most gay strip clubs, gay night clubs, and gay bars.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
The Tel Aviv area is Israel's mainmanufacturing district. About half of the nation'sbusiness companies are in the area. Their products include computer software, electronic equipment, machine tools, building materials, chemicals, clothing, and processed foods. The city is also the nation's main center for banking, publishing, and trade and the home of theTel Aviv Stock Exchange.Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, the nation's onlyforensics institute, is located there.
international Trade Fair -Orient Fair, 1934 - The British Pavilion
