Ashkelon Subdistrict
Ashkelon Subdistrict
נפת אשקלון قضاء عسقلان / قضاء أشكلون | |
|---|---|
Subdistrict | |
 | |
 Interactive map of Ashkelon Subdistrict | |
| Country |  Israel |
| District | Southern |
| Largest city | Ashdod |
| Capital | Ashkelon |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,266 km2 (489 sq mi) |
| Population (2016)[1] | |
• Total | 527,100 |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Jews and others | 100% |
31°39′57″N 34°33′59″E / 31.6658°N 34.5664°EThe Ashkelon Subdistrict is the northern of the two sub-districts in Israel's Southern District.[2] Its population is more than half a million. It is an important region for manufacturing including electricity production and water desalination, agriculture, transportation, tourism, and trade.
Ashdod is the largest city in the subdistrict. The capital of the subdistrict, Ashkelon, is its second-largest city. Both are on the Mediterranean Sea. The other cities in the subdistrict, Kiryat Malakhi, Kiryat Gat, and Sderot, are smaller and located inland.
The subdistrict borders clockwise with the Rehovot Subdistrict in the north, the Jerusalem District and the West Bank in the east, the Beersheba Subdistrict in the south, and the Gaza Strip and the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
History
[edit]During the British Mandate of Palestine, parts of the present-day subdistrict were in the Gaza, Hebron, and Beersheba subdistricts.
Demographics
[edit]| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 155,100 | — |
| 1983 | 200,900 | +29.5% |
| 1995 | 323,200 | +60.9% |
| 2008 | 464,100 | +43.6% |
| 2022 | 592,092 | +27.6% |
| 2024 | 628,684 | +6.2% |
Administrative local authorities
[edit]| Cities | Local Councils | Regional Councils |
|---|---|---|
|
Transportation
[edit]The Israel Trail leads through the east of the subdistrict, generally in a north–south direction.
Roads
[edit]The subdistrict has 3 major north–south routes:
- Road 4 from Ashdod through Ashkelon to the Yad Mordechai Junction, from where most traffic continues over Road 34 to Sderot and Netivot (outside the subdistrict).
- Road 40 between Gedera (just outside the subdistrict), Kiryat Malakhi, and Kiryat Gat, connecting to Road 6 at the Maahaz Interchange
- Road 6 on the east side of the subdistrict.
Its 2 major east–west thoroughfares are:
- Road 3, connecting Kiryat Malakhi to Ashkelon.
- Road 35, between Road 6, Kiryat Gat, and Ashkelon.
Rail
[edit]Kiryat Malakhi, through a quite remote railway station, and Kiryat Gat are on the north–south railroad from Tel Aviv to Beersheba. Beersheba also has a rail connection through Ofakim and Netivot to Sderot, from where the line continues north to Ashkelon and Ashdod. Ashdod, in turn, has railway connections outside the subdistrict to Tel Aviv and Lod.
The east–west Heletz railway, between Kiryat Gat and Ashkelon, serves only freight. It was completed in 1985. Other freight tracks connect to the Port of Ashdod and to Rutenberg Power Station. Ashkelon has major maintenance facilities of Israel railways.
As part of a comprehensive 2017 country-wide housing plan of the Ministry of Construction and Housing, the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety is planning a light rail and bus rapid transit system for the subdistrict and its peripheral area – Ashkelon Mass Transit System. The first draft was published in August 2020.
Sea
[edit]The subdistrict has a major seaport in Ashdod. Ashkelon has sea terminals for coal and oil.
Ashdod has two yacht harbors and Ashkelon has one.
Voting Patterns
[edit]In the 2022 election, 68 percent of voters in the subdistrict voted for the parties of the right-wing coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu, while 32 percent voted for the parties of the center-left coalition led by Yair Lapid. The Arab parties received a mere 0.1 percent of the vote.[5]
Natural Regions
[edit]
- 611 Mal'akhi Region
- 612 Lakhish Region
- 613 Ashdod Region
- 614 Ashqelon Region
References
[edit]- ↑ "Population, by Population Group, Religion, Age and Sex, District and Sub-District" (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
- ↑ "Subdistricts of Israel". statoids. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ↑ "Regional Statistics". www.cbs.gov.il. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Additional files - census 2008". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "The true results of the elections for the 25th Knesset". Israel: Central Elections Committee. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2026.