SafekipediaGush Dan
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience
Gush Dan, also called the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, is a large group of cities along the Mediterranean coast of Israel. This area includes Tel Aviv and many nearby cities that are close together. The exact borders of Gush Dan can change, but it usually covers parts of the Tel Aviv District, the Central District, and sometimes 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. Many banks, businesses, and tech companies are located there.
In 2021, about 4,156,900 people lived in Gush Dan. Most of these people, around 89%, are Israeli Jews. This makes Gush Dan the biggest city area in Israel and a very 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 had problems. They moved north. Today, the area around Tel Aviv is called Gush Dan to remember that history.
Tel Aviv started in 1909 and grew fast, 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 has many cities along Israel's Mediterranean coast. As of the end of 2021, the biggest city, Tel Aviv-Yafo, had 494,900 people. Other big cities with more than 200,000 people are Rishon LeZion, Petah Tikva, and Bnei Brak. Many more cities in the area have between 100,000 and 400,000 people.
There are also cities with between 50,000 and 100,000 people, and several with more than 20,000 people. The area has many different communities, all helping to make Gush Dan a lively urban place.
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 divides 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 in the city of Ramat Gan. It is important for Israel's diamond industry and is also a big shopping and business area. The district has several tall buildings connected by bridges.
Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv has the Dizengoff Center, the city's first shopping mall. It opened in 1983 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 the country move goods by sea.
Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv is a busy and popular street, going 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 and is very important for Israel's economy.
The Tel Aviv Promenade runs along the city's beaches and is a favorite spot for locals and visitors. It has hotels, shops, and beautiful walks by the sea.
Kiryat Atidim in Tel Aviv is a modern high-tech area with up-to-date buildings. Other important business and industrial areas include parts of Bat Yam, Herzliya, Petah Tikva, Lod, Holon, and Netanya.
Higher education
Many students can learn in the Gush Dan area. Some main universities are Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, and the Open University of Israel. Other important schools are the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which has a campus in Rehovot.
The area also has many colleges, such as the Academic Center of Law and Business, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, and Reichman University.
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, but many cities now use 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 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, 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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