Israel's only snow ski slope was opened in 1969. There's a ski lift now, but originally mules were used to get up the slopes.

Israel's electronics industry contributes some 40% of the country's industrial exports.

Gottex was founded by Leah and Armin Gottlieb, refugees who arrived from Hungary in 1949 and settled in Jaffa. They began by making raincoats, but after a number of short Israeli winters, they realized that the potential market was far too limited. In 1956, they shifted to swimwear.

Drip irrigation was developed in Israel and introduced into Israeli agriculture less than 35 years ago. Since then it has been disseminated all over the world with great success.

The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.

In a special session, the United Nations General Assembly votes to partition Palestine into two new states, one Jewish and the other Arab. Less than six months later, on May 14, 1948, prominent Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion announced the establishment of the State of Israel and declared that Jewish immigration into the new state will be unrestricted.

Natalie Portman was born in Jerusalem.

Israeli actress Mili Avital starred in the first "Stargate" movie in 1994.

In June 2002, Clemson men's basketball coach Larry Shyatt announced that Ori Ichaki would join the Tiger basketball team as a freshman. Ichaki is a native of Herzliya, Israel and has been a member of various Israeli national teams.

More than 30,000 North American teenagers have taken free trips to israel. You can, too.

ICQ, which stands for "I seek you," was developed in Israel by a man named Goldfinger (honest!) and has been popular since the day it hit the market. Instant messaging, or IM, really began to make strides when America Online Inc. (www.aol.com) bought ICQ for $287 million in mid-1998 and then unleashed it to its tens of millions of subscribers.

There are 10 Arabs in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.

Israeli agricultural scientists have invented the featherless chicken, the seedless watermelon and the three-nut peanut.

Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon takes off with the crew of NASA Space Shuttle Columbia on January 16, 2003.

Arizona's Hopi Indians are using Israeli irrigation techniques to make their desert bloom.

Israeli windsurfer Gal Friedman placed first in the Mistral World Championships.

The width of Israel, from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east, can be crossed by car in 90 minutes.

The Israel flag is based on the design of the Jewish prayer shawl (tallit), with a blue Star of David.

There are 150 nature reserves and 65 national parks throughout Israel.

Israel has regularly participated in the Olympic Games since 1952. It won its first Olympic medals at the 1992 Barcelona games.

The first Maccabiah, the international Jewish Olympics, was held in 1932 in what was then Palestine. It attracted 500 Jewish athletes from 23 countries.

Nearly 91% of Israel's inhabitants live in 200 urban centers, while 5% live in unique rural cooperative settlements like the kibbutz and the moshav.

Klezmer is a musical coleslaw, fusing Middle Eastern, Eastern European, German Umpa and American Ragtime.

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra was once known as The Palestine Orchestra.

The tablah, a traditional instrument of the Middle East, is a vase-shaped hand-drum.