Afula

Afula עֲפוּלָה
City[when?]
Municipal seal of Afula
Afula Show map of Jezreel Valley region of Israel Afula Show map of Israel
Coordinates: 32°36′23″N 35°17′17″E / 32.60639°N 35.28806°E / 32.60639; 35.28806
Grid position	177/224 PAL
Country	Israel
District	Northern
Founded	1900 BCE (Canaanite settlement) 7th century (Samaritan town) 14th century (Arab village) 1925–present (Jewish village/city)
Government
• Mayor	Avi Elkabetz[citation needed]
Area
• Total	26,909 dunams (26.909 km2 or 10.390 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[1] [2]
• Total	61,519
• Density	2,300/km2 (5,900/sq mi)
Ethnicity [1]
• Jews and others	98.9%
• Arabs	1.1%

Afula (Hebrew: עֲפוּלָה, ʿĂfūlā) is a city in the Northern District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley" due to its strategic location in the Jezreel Valley. As of 2022, the city had a population of 61,519.^[1]

Afula's ancient tell suggests habitation from the Late Chalcolithic period to the Ayyubid period. It has been proposed that Afula is the location of the village Arbela mentioned in the Onomasticon of Eusebius and the 7th century Samaritan village of Kirjath Ophlatha. A fortress was built at the site during the Mamluk period.

A small Palestinian Arab village during the Ottoman period; it was sold in 1872 with the entire Jezreel valley to the Lebanese Sursock family. In 1925, the same area was acquired by the American Zionist Commonwealth as part of the Sursock Purchase. The majority Muslim and Christian population were removed, and replaced by Jewish immigrants, marking the foundation of modern Afula. After the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Afula was settled by Jewish immigrants from Iraq, Yemen and Romania. In 1972, it gained the status of a city. The 1990s saw Jewish immigration from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union contribute to the growth of the city. Since 1995, the city has almost doubled^[when?] its population.