Dimona
Dimona
דִּימוֹנָה ديمونا | |
---|---|
Hebrew transcription(s) | |
• ISO 259 | Dimonah |
Coordinates: 31°4′N 35°2′E / 31.067°N 35.033°E | |
Country | Israel |
District | Southern |
Founded | 1955 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Benny Bitton |
Area | |
• Total | 29,877 dunams (29.877 km2 or 11.536 sq mi) |
Population (2022)[1] | |
• Total | 36,776 |
• Density | 1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi) |
Website | http://www.dimona.muni.il |
Dimona (
Etymology
The Negev Naming Committee chose the name based upon that of a biblical town,[2] mentioned in Joshua 15:21-22, on the basis that "the sound of this name had been preserved in the Arabic name Harabat Umm Dumna."[3]
History
Dimona was one of the development towns created in the 1950s under the leadership of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion. Dimona itself was conceived in 1953. The location chosen was close to the Dead Sea Works. It was established in 1955. The first residents were Jewish immigrants from North Africa, with an initial 36 families being the first to settle there. Its population in 1955 was about 300. The North African immigrants also constructed the city's houses. The population was composed mainly of North African, particularly Moroccan immigrants, though immigrants from Yemen and Eastern Europe also arrived, as did Bene Israel immigrants from India.
When the
In spite of a gradual decrease during the 1980s, the city's population began to grow once again in the 1990s when it took in immigrants from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. Currently, Dimona is the third largest city in the Negev, with the population of almost 34,000. Due to projected rapid population growth in the Negev, the city is expected to triple in size by 2025.[4]
Demography
Dimona is described as "mini-India" by many for its 7,500-strong Indian Jewish community.
Economy
In the early 1980s, textile plants, such as Dimona Textiles Ltd., dominated the industrial landscape. Many plants have since closed. Dimona Silica Industries Ltd. manufactures precipitated silica and calcium carbonate fillers. About a third of the city's population works in industrial workplaces (chemical plants near the
Geography and climate
Dimona is located in the Negev Desert. The city stands at an elevation of around 550–600 metres (1,800–1,970 ft)
Climate
Dimona has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSh). The average annual temperature is 18.5 °C (65.3 °F), and around 213 mm (8.39 in) of precipitation falls annually.
Climate data for Dimona | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 15.1 (59.2) |
16.6 (61.9) |
19.7 (67.5) |
23.7 (74.7) |
28.2 (82.8) |
30.9 (87.6) |
31.9 (89.4) |
32 (90) |
30 (86) |
27.5 (81.5) |
22.3 (72.1) |
16.8 (62.2) |
24.6 (76.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.4 (50.7) |
11.6 (52.9) |
14 (57) |
17.4 (63.3) |
21.1 (70.0) |
23.7 (74.7) |
25 (77) |
25.2 (77.4) |
23.5 (74.3) |
21 (70) |
16.7 (62.1) |
12 (54) |
18.5 (65.3) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5.8 (42.4) |
6.6 (43.9) |
8.4 (47.1) |
11.1 (52.0) |
14.1 (57.4) |
16.5 (61.7) |
18.2 (64.8) |
18.5 (65.3) |
17.1 (62.8) |
14.6 (58.3) |
11.1 (52.0) |
7.3 (45.1) |
12.4 (54.4) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 47 (1.9) |
42 (1.7) |
39 (1.5) |
11 (0.4) |
3 (0.1) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
4 (0.2) |
24 (0.9) |
43 (1.7) |
213 (8.4) |
Source: [9] |
Transportation
In the early 1950s, an extension to Dimona and south was constructed from the
Notable people
- Lucy Aharish, News presenter, Reporter, Television host
- Jacques Amir (1933–2011), Knesset member
- Yossi Benayoun (born 1980), Footballer
- Meir Cohen (born 1955), Minister of Welfare and Social Services, Knesset member
- Kfir Edri (born 1976), Footballer
- African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem (Shomrei Hashalom)[6]
Twin towns
Dimona is
- Andernach, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany (1975)
References
- ^ a b "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ISBN 965-220-186-3
- ISBN 978-0-520-92882-4.
- ^ Udasin, Sharon. "'1.2 million residents in the Negev by 2025' | JPost | Israel News". JPost. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
- ^ Rockets hit `mini-India` town in Israel Zee News, 10 July 2014
- ^ a b "Ben Ammi". African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
- ^ Calif. solar power test begins — in Israeli desert, Associated Press, June 12, 2008. Retrieved December 23, 2008.
- ^ Israel site for California solar power test, Ari Rabinovitch, Reuters, June 11, 2008.
- ^ "Climate: Dimona". September 2019.