The Northern District (Hebrew: מָחוֹז הַצָּפוֹן, romanized:Mekhoz HaTzafon; Arabic: منطقة الشمال, romanized:Minṭaqat ash-Shamāl) is one of Israel's six administrative districts. The Northern District has a land area of 4,473 km2, making it the second largest district in Israel.

The Golan Heights has been run as a sub-district of the North District of Israel since the 1981 Golan Heights Law was passed, although the claim is only recognized by the United States while United Nations Security Council condemned the annexation in its Resolution 497 without enforcing it. The Golan Heights covers a land area of 1,154 km2 and the remainder of the Northern District covers 3,324 km2 (3,484 km2 including water).

Geography

Climate

The Northern District has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa), with hot, dry summers and cool, rainy occasionally snowy winters. It is home to the wettest locations in Israel, including Harashim.

Demographics

According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics data for 2022:

  • Total population: 1,527,800 (2022)
  • Ethnic: Arabs: 816,800 (53.5%) Jews: 647,500 (42.4%) Others: 63,500 (4.2%)

In the Israeli census, no distinction is made between Arab citizens of Israel and Syrian inhabitants of the Golan Heights, many of whom are not citizens of Israel, but of Syria.

The Northern District is the only district of Israel where the majority of inhabitants are Arabs.

Administrative local authorities

Geographical distribution of the main ethno-cultural communities Haifa and Northern districts
Safed, one of the 4 holy cities in Judaism. View of the artists' quarter of Safed
Nazareth, the largest city in the North District and hometown of Jesus.
Subdistricts
Acre Golan Jezreel Kinneret (Tiberias) Safed
CitiesLocal CouncilsRegional Councils
Acre Afula Arraba Bet She'an Karmiel Kiryat Shmona Ma'alot-Tarshiha Maghar Migdal HaEmek Nahariyya Nazareth Nof HaGalil Safed Sakhnin Shefa-'Amr Tamra Tiberias YokneamAbu Sinan Basmat Tab'un Beit Jann Bi'ina Bir al-Maksur Bu'eine Nujeidat Buq'ata Daburiyya Deir al-Asad Deir Hanna Eilabun Ein Qiniyye Ein Mahil Fassuta Ghajar Hazor HaGelilit Hurfeish I'billin Iksal Ilut Jadeidi-Makr Jish (also: Gush Halav) Julis Ka'abiyye-Tabbash-Hajajre Kabul Kafr Kanna Kafr Manda Kafr Yasif Kaukab Abu al-Hija Katzrin Kfar Kama Kfar Tavor Kfar Vradim Kisra-Sumei Majd al-Krum Majdal Shams Mas'ada Mashhad Mazra'a Metula Migdal Mi'ilya Nahf Peki'in Ramat Yishai Rameh Reineh Rosh Pinna Sajur Sha'ab Shibli-Umm al-Ghanam Shlomi Tuba-Zangariyye Tur'an Yafa an-Naseriyye Yanuh-Jat Yavne'el Yesod HaMa'ala Yirka Zarziral-Batuf Bustan al-Marj Emek HaYarden Gilboa Golan Jezreel Valley Lower Galilee Ma'ale Yosef Matte Asher Megiddo Merom HaGalil Mevo'ot HaHermon Misgav Upper Galilee Valley of Springs (formerly Beit She'an Valley)

See also

32°50′N 35°20′E/32.833°N 35.333°E/ 32.833; 35.333