| Eilat | ||
 | ||
Coat of arms  | ||
| State | Israel | |
|---|---|---|
| Inhabitants | 46.800 (2007) | |
| Prefix tel | 972 | |
Position
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| Institutional website | ||
Eilat (אילת, aka Elat) is a city of Israel on the Gulf of Aqaba, in the Red Sea.
To know
Geographical notes
Eilat is located in the gulf of Aqaba, in Hebrew מפרץ אילת (Mifraz Eilat, Gulf of Eilat), at the northern end of the eastern branch of the Red Sea. It occupies practically the entire Israeli coast of the Red Sea, and is bordered to the east by the city of Aqaba, in Jordan, and to the west with the locality of Taba, in Egypt.
Background
Eilat it is mentioned in the Bible under the name of Ezion-Geber, in the first Book of Kings. It is therefore believed that its position as a natural port on the Red Sea was already important at the time of Solomon, as a point of shipment of the copper produced by the mines of TimnaIn recent times, Eilat has become the outlet to the Red Sea of the State of Israel, and has therefore found itself in a unique position, as the only link between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea (the Israeli port of Ashdod) apart from the Suez Canal.
How to orient yourself
Eilat: full screen map.How to get
By plane
The actual Eilat airport (ETH, LLET) is practically in the center of the city, perpendicular to the coast, and is now used only for internal flights; international flights arrive at Uvda Airport (VDA), about 50km north, connected to Eilat by bus.
By car
From inside Israel, you can reach Eilat by taking the Aravà road, which runs along the border with Jordan, coming from the Dead Sea. It is also possible to arrive from the western road, which runs along the border with Egypt, coming from the border town of Nitzana. From Egypt you get to Eilat at the pass of Taba; from Jordan to the Aravà pass, about forty kilometers north of Eilat. In reality, it is not possible in practice to pass by car from Jordan except in very special cases and with great difficulty, and even the Taba pass is difficult to overcome by private car.
By bus
By far the most practical means. Regular services of the Egged company and others, and more frequent trips organized by all Israeli centers.
How to get around
What see
The main attraction of the city of Eilat is undoubtedly the spectacular landscape of marine fauna, thanks to the coral reefs.
