Ramat Gan

**Ramat Gan** ( ) is a ceety in the Tel Aviv destrict o Israel, locatit east o Tel Aviv. It is hame tae ane o the warld's major diamont exchynges an Israel's tawest biggin, the Moshe Aviv Touer. Ramat Gan wis established in 1921 as a moshava, a communal farmin dounset. In  it haed a population o . The mayor o Ramat Gan is Carmel Shama.

## History
Ramat Gan wis establisht bi the *Ir Ganim* association in 1921 as a satellite toun o Tel Aviv. The first plots o land wur purchased atween 1914-1918. The dounset wis initially a moshava, a Zionist agricultural colony that grew wheat, barley an watermelons. The name o the dounset wis chynged tae Ramat Gan (lit: *Garden Heights*) in 1923. The dounset continued tae operate as a moshava till 1933, awtho it achieved local cooncil status in 1926. At this time it haed 450 residents. In the 1940s, Ramat Gan became a battlegrund in the kintra's leid war: A Yiddish leid printin press in Ramat Gan wis blown up bi Ebreu-leid extremists.

Ower the years, the economy shiftit frae agricultur tae commerce an industry. Bi 1946, the population haed grown tae 12,000. In 1950, Ramat Gan wis recognised as a ceety. In 1955, it haed a population o 55,000. The first mayor wis Avraham Krinitzi who remained in office for 43 years. In 1961, the municipal aurie o Ramat Gan expandit wastward, tae encompass the aurie that includes the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, an eastward, tae encompass the aurie aroond Bar Ilan University. In 1968, the warld's lairgest diamont exchynge opened in Ramat Gan. The Sheba Medical Center an the Israel Diamond Exchynge are locatit in Ramat Gan.

## Archaeology
Northwast o the ceety is an archeological site datin frae the Early Bronze Age (2800-2600 BC) – Tel Gerisa – which haes been identified as a Hyksos fortified toun frae 2000 tae 1500 BC.

## Geography
Ramat Gan is locatit in the Gush Dan metropolitan aurie east o Tel Aviv. It is bundit in the north bi the Yarkon River an in the east bi Bnei Brak. Giv'atayim lies tae the soothwast. Ramat Gan experiences an average o 500&nbsp;mm o rainfall per year an is locatit, on average 80 meters abuin sea level. It is biggit on limestone hills.  Ramat Gan pairks include The National Park which covers some 1,900 dunams, an David Park in the Marom Naveh neighborhuid. 25% o Ramat Gan is covered bi public paurkland. Ramat Gan neighborhuids include: Shchunat Hageffen, Ceety Center, Nachalat Ganim, Kiryat Krinitzi, Ramat Shikma, Ramat Yitzhak, Shchunat Rishonim, Tel Yehuda, Givat Geula, Neve Yehoshua, Kiryat Borochov, Marom Naveh, Ramat Amidar, Ramat Chen, Shikun Vatikim, Shchunat Hillel, Elite an Diamond Exchynge Destrict an Tel Binyamin.

## Demographics

As o 2006, Ramat Gan haed 129,700 residents, on an aurie o 12,000 dunams (12&nbsp;km²). The population wis growin at a rate o 1.0% per annum wi 90% o this growthe comin throu natural increase. The population density o the ceety is 9,822.6 per square kilometer, ane o the heichest in Israel. In terms o the oreegin o Ramat Gan's residents, 42,900 oreeginate frae Europe an Americae, 10,200 frae Africae, 29,200 frae Asie, an 40,600 frae Israel. 86,200 o the residents o Ramat Gan wur born in Israel, whilst 36,600 wur born abroad.

Accordin the Israel Central Bureau o Statistics, as o 2001, Ramat Gan's socioeconomic rankin stuid at 8 oot o 10. 70.9% o twalt grade students received a matriculation certificate in 2000. That year, the average wages in Ramat Gan wur 6,995 NIS. As o 2006, 32,100 o the ceety's hoosehaulds haed fowk who wur no in the labour force, wi 23,300 o thir reteert. 1,900 o the hoosehaulds haed unemployed athin them. 43,000 hoosehaulds wur fully employed. The lairgest sectors o jobs for those in employment in Ramat Gan wur business activities accoontin for 18.1% o jobs, eddication, 15.1%, wholesale an retail tred, an repairs, 14.2%, manufacturin 10.8%, an heal, welfare an social wirk services, 10.0%.

## Economy
Ramat Gan's economy is dominatit bi the Diamond Exchynge Destrict in the northwast o the ceety, hame tae a lairge concentration o skyscrapers, includin Moshe Aviv Tower (Ceety Gate), Israel's tawest at ower 240 meters, the Diamond Exchynge (a warld leader in diamonts), a lairge Sheraton hotel, an mony hie-tech businesses, amang them Check Point Software Technologies an ArticlesBase. In the wake o a crackdoun on prostitution an gamblin in 2006,  quality o life haes improved in the aurie. An aa locatit in the Diamond Exchynge Destrict is the State Bank of India's Israeli heidquarters an the heidquarters o Bank Mizrachi, whilst the embassies o Ghana, Kenyae, the Ivory Coast, Jordan, Norawa, Belgium, Holland, an the European Economic Community, are locatit in the aurie. A nummer o ither internaitional embassies are an aa locatit in the ceety, as is the British Council. An aa heidquartered in the ceety is the Histadrut tred union. Locatit tae the sooth of Ramat Gan is Hiriya, the lairgest waste transfer site in the Middle East.

Ramat Gan is an aa an important centre for industry an manufacturin wi major fruit an vegetable cannin plants, textile mills, metal production plants, electrical manufacturers, furniture makers, an fuid producers based here. In 2008, construction began on the Elite Touer, set tae exceed the Ceety Gate Touer in heicht, on the site o the historic Elite Candy factory. As a tribute tae the history o the site, the lawer floors o the touer will hoose a chocolate museum. The touer is set tae contain luxury apairtments, wi an average price tag o $1 million each. At the end o 2006, Ramat Gan haed three hotels, wi a tot o 408 ruims wi 150,000 body-nichts ower the year representin 64% room occupancy.

## Cultur

Cultural venues  in Ramat Gan include the Ramat Gan Theater, the Diamond Theater an the Russell Cultural Center. The Beit Zvi School o Performin Airts is based in Ramat Gan. Ramat Gan operates twa cinemas complexes:  the Lev-Elram Cinema an the "Yes Planet" megaplex.

### Museums

Beit Avraham Krinizi, hame o the first mayor, is nou a museum o the history o Ramat Gan. The Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum tells the story o the Israeli diamont industry. Man and the Living World Museum is a natural history museum an the Maccabi Museum focuses on the history o Jewish sports syne 1898. The Ramat Gan Safari, a 250-acre (1.0 km2) zoo hoosin 1,600 ainimals, is the lairgest ainimal collection in the Middle East. Ither museums in the ceety include the Museum o Israeli Airt, Kiryat Omanut which hooses sculpture galleries an a ceramics studio, the Museum o Roushie Airt, the Museum o Jewish Airt, an the Yehiel Nahari Museum o Far Eastren Airt.

## Local govrenment
The mayor o Ramat Gan is Zvi Bar. The mak up o the ceety's 25 seat Ceety Cooncil is: Ramat Gan First 6, Labor 3, Likud 3, Sun 2, Meretz 3, Trufa, 2, Shas 2, Mafdal 3, an Anither Ramat Gan 1.

## Education
Ramat Gan is hame tae Israel's seicont lairgest varsity, Bar-Ilan University, wi 24,000 students. The ceety is an aa the location o the Shenkar College o Ingineerin an Design, Ramat Gan College, an Beit Zvi actin college.

## Healthcare
The Sheba Medical Center locatit in sootheastren Ramat Gan an Tel HaShomer, is Israel's lairgest hospital. It includes the Safra Childer's Hospital an Padeh Geriatric Rehabilitation Center. The ceety haes 32 medical centers run bi heal authorities an 10 bairn-care clinics operatit bi the municipality.

## Sports

The Maccabiah Gemmes are held in Ramat Gan ivery fower years. Ramat Gan Stadium is Israel's naitional fitbaa stadium. Seatin 41,583, it is the lairgest stadium in the kintra. Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan (based at the Winter Stadium) an Hapoel Ramat Gan (based at the HaMakhtesh Stadium in neighbourin Giv'atayim) are the ceety's main fitbaa clubs, baith haein wan the championship at some point in thair history. Beitar Ramat Gan an Shikun Vatikim Ramat Gan baith play in the Sooth A Diveesion o Liga Bet, the fift tier. The nou-defunct clubs Maccabi Ramat Gan an Maccabi Ramat Amidar wut baith involved in mergers which formed Hakoah Amidar. In basketbaw, Ironi Ramat Gan plays in Ligat HaAl, the tap diveesion. The Beetles Club o Israel meets ivery Friday in Ramat Gan, bringin thegither lovers o Volkswagens.

## Releegion
Ramat Gan haes 112 synagogues an twa yeshivas. Ramat Gan an aa haes a Buddhist temple, a Scientology centre an a Kabbalah centre.

## Notable residents
* Lior Eliyahu, professional basketbaw player
* Aviv Geffen, muisician
* Uzi Hitman, sangwriter an sangster
* Etgar Keret, author
* Ilan Ramon, first Israeli astronaut
* Zeev Revach, actor
* Tal Stricker, swimmer
* Dahlia Ravikovitch, poet

## Twin ceeties
Ramat Gan is twinned wi:

## References

## Freemit airtins
* Ramat-Gan municipal wabsteid