- Gush Dan
Gush Dan ( _he. גּוּשׁ דָּן) is a
metropolitan area including areas from both the Tel Aviv and the Central Districts ofIsrael . It is located along the Israeli Mediterranean coastline. It constitutes most of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the country, with an estimated population of over 3 million.History
The name "Gush Dan" means "Dan Bloc", and is so named because the area was the territory of the
tribe of Dan in the ancientKingdom of Israel . According to the biblical narrative, the tribe had originally tried to settle in the central coastal area ofCanaan , but due to enmity with the Philistines who had already settled there, were only able to camp in the hill country overlooking theSorek Valley . The camp location becameknown as Mahaneh Dan ("Camps of Dan"). The region they attempted to settle included the area as far north asJoppa and as far south asShephelah in the area of Timnah. As a result of the pressure from the Philistines, the tribe abandoned hopes of settling near the central coast, instead migrating to the north of the country. After conquering Laish, the tribe refounded it as their capital and renamed it Dan. As a result the region is referred to as Gush Dan.Metropolitan rings
Gush Dan is divided into an inner and an outer ring.
The inner ring consists of the
Tel Aviv District and includes the citiesTel Aviv ,Bat Yam ,Holon ,Ramat HaSharon ,Ramat Gan ,Giv'atayim ,Bnei Brak ,Herzliya ,Or Yehuda ,Giv'at Shmuel andKiryat Ono , as well as a multitude of smaller towns (local councils).The outer ring includes the cities
Petah Tikva ,Hod HaSharon ,Kfar Saba ,Ra'anana ,Yehud ,Ramla ,Lod ,Rosh HaAyin ,Rishon LeZion ,Ness Ziona andRehovot , as well as many smaller towns (local councils).Transportation
The
Dan Bus Company is primarily focused on serving the Gush Dan, although it is being replaced by theKavim company in many of the Gush Dan's cities. Much of Israel's national highway network feeds into the area, such as Highway 1, Highway 2, Highway 4, and Highway 5. Gush Dan is also served by the localAyalon Highway .ee also
*
List of cities in Israel
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