Haifa
City in Israel / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Haifa (Hebrew: חֵיפָה Ḥēyfā [χeˈfa]; Arabic: حَيْفَا Ḥayfā)[2] is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of 282,832 in 2021. The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area in Israel.[3] It is home to the Baháʼí Faith's Baháʼí World Centre, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a destination for Baháʼí pilgrimage.[4]
Haifa
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|---|---|
 From upper left: Night view of Haifa from Mount Carmel; Baháʼí World Centre; aerial view of the Haifa University; Ahmadiyya Mahmood Mosque; the Carmelit; National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space; day view of Haifa from Mount Carmel. | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Map of Haifa | |
  Haifa Location in Israel  Haifa Haifa (Israel) | |
| Coordinates: 32°49′09″N 34°59′57″E | |
| Grid position | 145/246 PAL |
| Country |  Israel |
| District |  Haifa |
| Founded | 1st century CE |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Einat Kalisch-Rotem |
| Area | |
| • City | 63,666 dunams (63.666 km2 or 24.582 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
| • City | 282,832 |
| • Density | 4,400/km2 (12,000/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 600,000 |
| • Metro | 1,050,000 |
| Website | www.haifa.muni.il |
Built on the slopes of Mount Carmel, the settlement has a history spanning more than 3,000 years. The earliest known settlement in the vicinity was Tell Abu Hawam, a small port city established in the Late Bronze Age (14th century BCE).[5] In the 3rd century CE, Haifa was known as a dye-making center. Over the millennia, the Haifa area has changed hands: being conquered and ruled by the Canaanites, Israelites, Phoenicians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Hasmoneans, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans, and the British. Since the establishment of Israel in 1948, the Haifa Municipality has governed the city.
As of 2016[update], the city is a major seaport located on Israel's Mediterranean coastline in the Bay of Haifa covering 63.7 km2 (24.6 sq mi). It lies about 90 km (56 mi) north of Tel Aviv and is the major regional center of northern Israel. Two respected academic institutions, the University of Haifa and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology the oldest and top ranked university in both Israel and the Middle East, are located in Haifa, in addition to the largest K–12 school in Israel, the Hebrew Reali School. The city plays an important role in Israel's economy. It is home to Matam, one of the oldest and largest high-tech parks in the country; Haifa also owns the only underground rapid transit system located in Israel, known as the Carmelit.[6][7] Haifa Bay is a center of heavy industry, petroleum refining and chemical processing. Haifa formerly functioned as the western terminus of an oil pipeline from Iraq via Jordan.[8] It is one of Israel's mixed cities, with an Arab-Israeli population of c.10%.