SafekipediaGush Dan
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
Gush Dan, also known as the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, is a big group of cities along the Mediterranean coast of Israel. This area includes Tel Aviv and many nearby cities that are connected and close together. The exact limits of Gush Dan can change, but it usually covers parts of the Tel Aviv District, the Central District, and sometimes even a small part of the Southern District.
Gush Dan is the largest urban area in Israel and is very important for the country's economy. It is the center of Israel's financial and High technology sectors, meaning many banks, businesses, and tech companies are located there.
In 2021, the population of Gush Dan was about 4,156,900 people. Most of these people, around 89%, are Israeli Jews. This makes Gush Dan not only the biggest city area in Israel but also a very lively and busy place.
History
The name Gush Dan means "Dan Bloc" and comes from an ancient group called the tribe of Dan. Long ago, this tribe tried to live along the coast but faced difficulties. They eventually moved north. Today, the area around Tel Aviv is called Gush Dan in memory of that history.
Tel Aviv was started in 1909 and grew quickly, especially after many people came to Israel from Europe. Over time, many towns formed around Tel Aviv. After World War II, the area grew even more as new people arrived in Israel. Today, Gush Dan is a busy center for business, culture, and industry in Israel, with millions of people living there.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 343,000 | — |
| 1956 | 845,000 | +146.4% |
| 1966 | 1,291,000 | +52.8% |
| 1976 | 1,661,000 | +28.7% |
| 1986 | 2,036,000 | +22.6% |
| 1996 | 2,547,000 | +25.1% |
| 2006 | 3,098,000 | +21.6% |
| 2016 | 3,854,000 | +24.4% |
| Source: | ||
Cities in Gush Dan
The Gush Dan area includes many cities along Israel's Mediterranean coast. As of the end of 2021, the largest cities had populations of over 400,000, such as Tel Aviv-Yafo with 494,900 people. Other cities with more than 200,000 people include Rishon LeZion, Petah Tikva, and Bnei Brak. Many more cities in the area have populations ranging from 100,000 to over 400,000.
There are also cities with populations between 50,000 and 100,000, and several others with more than 20,000 people. The area includes a variety of communities, each contributing to the vibrant urban landscape of Gush Dan.
Map of the Gush Dan
Map of inner metropolitan area
Satellite Image of the Inner Ring of the Gush Dan
NASA photo of Tel Aviv area at night
Metropolitan rings
The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics groups the Tel Aviv area into four parts.
| Metropolitan ring | Localities | Population (EOY 2018 estimate) | Population density (per km²) | Annual Population growth rate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Jews and others1 | Thereof: Jews | Arabs | ||||
| Core2 | 1 | 451,500 | 431,100 | 407,200 | 20,400 | 8,718.6 | 1.7% |
| Inner Ring3 | 13 | 975,600 | 973,700 | 911,900 | 2,000 | 8,097 | 1.4% |
| Northern Section | 4 | 144,300 | 144,100 | 138,800 | 200 | 3,327.4 | 1.3% |
| Eastern Section | 5 | 495,100 | 494,400 | 479,600 | 700 | 12,394.3 | 1.9% |
| Southern Section | 4 | 336,300 | 335,200 | 293,500 | 1,100 | 9,042.2 | 0.6% |
| Middle Ring4 | 31 | 1,219,800 | 1,177,300 | 1,108,100 | 42,500 | 4,157.4 | 1.6% |
| Northern Section | 6 | 239,500 | 239,200 | 232,300 | 300 | 4,567.4 | 1.3% |
| Eastern Section | 8 | 325,700 | 325,300 | 304,400 | 400 | 4,558.6 | 1.7% |
| Southern Section | 17 | 654,500 | 612,800 | 571,500 | 41,800 | 3,861.5 | 1.7% |
| Outer Ring5 | 258 | 1,338,000 | 1,200,200 | 1,140,700 | 137,800 | 1,052.9 | 2% |
| Northern Section | 97 | 497,100 | 397,300 | 375,100 | 99,800 | 1,284.9 | 1.3% |
| Eastern Section | 47 | 294,700 | 258,000 | 254,200 | 36,700 | 1,056.4 | 3.3% |
| Southern Section | 91 | 453,300 | 452,600 | 424,200 | 700 | 877.3 | 1.4% |
| Judea and Samaria Section6 | 23 | 93,000 | 92,300 | 87,200 | 600 | – | 4.3% |
| Total | 303 | 3,984,900 | 3,782,300 | 3,567,900 | 202,700 | 2,361.4 | 1.7% |
Business and commercial districts
The Diamond Exchange District is located in the city of Ramat Gan. It is an important area for Israel's diamond industry and also serves as a major shopping and business hub. The district includes several tall buildings connected by bridges.
Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv is home to Dizengoff Center, the city's first shopping mall. Opened in 1983, it attracts many visitors each week and is named after Meir Dizengoff, Tel Aviv's first mayor.
The Port of Ashdod is one of Israel's main ports, located about 40 kilometers south of Tel Aviv. It helps increase the country's ability to move goods by sea.
Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv is a busy and popular street, stretching from Neve Tzedek to Habima Theatre. It is known for its beauty and attracts many tourists.
The Azrieli Center in Tel Aviv is a group of tall buildings with a large shopping mall at its base. It was designed by an architect and built by a developer named David Azrieli.
The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange is Israel's only stock exchange. It helps companies and people buy and sell investments, playing a big role in Israel's economy.
The Tel Aviv Promenade runs along the city's beaches and is a favorite spot for locals and visitors. It includes hotels, shops, and beautiful walks by the sea.
Kiryat Atidim in Tel Aviv is a modern high-tech area known for its up-to-date buildings. Other important business and industrial areas include parts of Bat Yam, Herzliya, Petah Tikva, Lod, Holon, and Netanya.
Higher education
There are many places for students to learn in the Gush Dan area. Some of the main universities include Tel Aviv University with about 30,000 students, Bar-Ilan University with around 27,000 students, and the Open University of Israel with about 40,000 students. Other important schools include the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which has a campus in Rehovot.
There are also many colleges in the area, such as the Academic Center of Law and Business, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, and Reichman University, among others.
Museums
See also: Art in Tel Aviv
The area has many interesting museums to explore. Some of the notable ones include the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Ramat Gan Museum of Israeli Art, and the Bauhaus Center Tel Aviv. Other museums such as the Max Liebling House, Haganah Museum, Petah Tikva Museum of Art, Holon Design Museum, Eretz Israel Museum, and Anu – Museum of the Jewish People also offer fascinating insights into the region's culture and history.
Shopping centers
- Carmel Market
- Ramat Aviv Mall
- Azrieli Center
- Dizengoff Center
- Tel Aviv Central Bus Station
- Opera Tower
- London Ministores Mall
Transportation
The Dan Bus Company helps people travel around the Gush Dan area, though many cities are now using the Kavim company instead. Major roads like Highway 1, Highway 2, Highway 4, and Highway 5 lead into this region, along with the Ayalon Highway. Trains from Israel Railways also connect the area, and the Tel Aviv Light Rail makes it easy to get around. There are two airports: Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, which is the biggest airport in Israel, and Sde Dov Airport, which closed in 2019. A subway system called the Tel Aviv Metro is planned to start in 2032.
Highways
Some big roads help people travel in and out of the Tel Aviv area. These roads carry lots of traffic every day.
- Highway 20, also called Ayalon Highway, is a main road in the area that runs along the eastern side of Tel Aviv from north to south.
- Highway 1 links Tel Aviv with Jerusalem.
- Highway 2, known as The Coastal Highway, goes from Tel Aviv up to Haifa. It is one of the busiest roads in Israel.
- Highway 4, also called Geha Highway or First President Road, connects Ra'anana and Kfar Saba in the north to Petah Tikva and Ramat Gan in the center, and continues down to Ashdod.
- Highway 5 links the Mediterranean coast just north of Tel Aviv to the central Sharon plain and places like Ariel and other Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank.
- Highway 44 connects Tel Aviv with Ramla, Lod and the Shefela.
- Highway 6 is a new road that runs east of the Tel Aviv area from Galilee in the north all the way to Beer Sheva in the south.
Images
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