Haifa

   A major deepwater port city on the Bay of Haifa on the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, it lies on and around Mount Carmel. It is the administrative center of the north of Israel and is an important manufacturing and cultural center. The city is composed of three sections: the lower section, which spreads around the bottom of Mount Carmel, includes port facilities, warehouses, and apartment buildings; the main business district covers most of the mountain slopes; and the upper part of Haifa consists mostly of large houses, apartment buildings, and gardens and parks on top of the mountain. Many religious landmarks are located in Haifa, including the Ba-hai Temple, the Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and Elijah's Cave. Haifa has two universities—the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Haifa University. The city's industries include oil refining and the manufacture of cement, chemicals, electronic equipment, glass, steel, and textiles. Haifa is also a shipping and railroad center.

   People lived in what is now the Haifa area about 3,000 years ago. Haifa was a small town until the mid-1850s, when it was first used as a port. By 2007, it had a population of 267,800, roughly evenly split between Jews and Arabs. The city has been viewed by many as a unique example of peaceful coexistence between Arabs and Jews in Israel. During the Second Lebanon War (2006), Haifa was hit by Katyusha rockets and other missiles fired by Hezbollah.

   See also Wadi Salib.