Northern District (Israel)

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).

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.

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.

• Religious:
  • Jews: 647,500 (42.4%)
  • Muslims: 597,300 (39.1%)
  • Druze: 120,300 (7.9%)
  • Christians: 97,800 (6.4%)
  • Not classified: 55,600 (3.6%)
• Density: 335/km2

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

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.

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• Arab localities in Israel
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