Haifa

Haifa
Haifa
Ebreu transcription(s)
- Ebreu	חֵיפָה
Arabic transcription(s)
- Arabic	حيفا
	Haifa frae Baha'i gardens
	; Emblem of Haifa
	; Emblem of Haifa
	; Haifa
	Coordinates: 32°49′0″N 34°59′0″E / 32.816667°N 34.983333°E
Destrict	Haifa
	Govrenment
- Heid o Municipality	Yona Yahav
	Aurie
- Ceety	63,666 dunams (63.7 km2 / 24.6 sq mi)
	Indwallers (2010)
- Ceety	268,215
- Urban	600,000
- Metro	1,048,900
Wabsteid	haifa.muni.il (Inglis)

Haifa (Ebreu: חֵיפָה‎‎); is the lairgest ceety in northren Israel, an the third-lairgest ceety in the kintra, wi a population o ower 265,000. Anither 300,000 fowk live in touns directly adjacent tae the ceety includin the ceeties o the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel an Nesher. Thegither these auries form a contiguous urban aurie hame tae nearly 600,000 residents which makes up the inner core o the Haifa metropolitan aurie.^[1]^[2] Haifa haes a mixed population o Jews an Arabs, although Jews make up tae 90% majority. The Arab population is predominantly Christian, whereas 28% o the Jewish population (correct for 2009) is made o immigrants frae the umwhile Soviet Union.^[3] It is an aa home tae the Bahá'í Warld Centre, a UNESCO Warld Heritage Site.^[4]^[5]

Built on the slopes o Munt Carmel, Haifa haes a history datin back tae Biblical times. The earliest kent settlement in the vicinity wis Tell Abu Hawam, a sma port ceety established in the Late Bronze Age (14t century BC).^[6] In the 3rd century AD, Haifa wis kent as a dye-makin center. Ower the centuries, the ceety haes chynged haunds: It haes been conquered an ruled bi the Phoenicians, Ebreus, Persians, Hasmoneans, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans, Egyptians, Breetish, an the Israelis. Synee the establishment o the State o Israel in 1948, the ceety haes been govrened bi the Haifa Municipality.

The day, the ceety is a major seaport locatit on Israel's Mediterranean coastline in the Bay o Haifa coverin 63.7 square kilometres (24.6 sq mi). It is locatit aboot 90 kilometres (56 mi) north o Tel Aviv an is the major regional center o northren Israel. Twa respectit academic institutions, the University o Haifa an the Technion, are locatit in Haifa, an the ceety plays an important role in Israel's economy. It haes several heh-tech pairks, amang them the auldest an lairgest in the kintra,^[7] an industrial port, an a petroleum refinery. Haifa wis umwhile the wastren terminus o an oil pipeline frae Iraq via Jordan.^[8]

Etymology[edit]

View o wastren Haifa frae the air

The oreegin o the name "Haifa" is unclear. Accordin tae historian Alex Carmel, it mey come frae the Ebreu verb ruit חפה (hafa), meanin tae cover or shield, i.e. Munt Carmel covers Haifa.^[9] Anither possible oreegin is the Ebreu wird חוֹף (hof), an aa meanin beach, or חוֹף יָפֶה (hof yafe), meanin bonnie beach.^[10] Some Christians believe that the toun wis named efter the heich priest Caiaphas, or Saunt Peter (Keiphah in Aramaic).^[9]