๐ฎ๐ฑ Dimona (ืึดึผืืืึนื ึธื, ุฏูู ููุง) is an Israeli city in the Negev desert, 30 km (19ย mi) to the south-east of Beersheba and 35 km (22ย mi) west of the Dead Sea above the Arava valley in the Southern District of Israel. The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, colloquially known as the Dimona Reactor, is located 13 km (8.1ย mi) south-east of the city.
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 Israeli nuclear program began in 1958, a location not far from the city was chosen for the Negev Nuclear Research Center due to its relative isolation in the desert and availability of housing. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, immigrants from Eastern Europe arrived. A textile factory was opened in 1958. That same year, Dimona became a local council. In 1961, it had a population of 5,000. The emblem of Dimona (as a local council), adopted 2 March 1961, appeared on a stamp issued on 24 March 1965. Dimona was declared a city in 1969. In 1971, it had a population of 23,700.
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. Due to projected rapid population growth in the Negev, the city is expected to triple in size by 2025.
Demography Dimona is described as "mini-India" by many for its 7,500-strong Indian Jewish community. It is also home to Israel's Black Hebrew community, formerly governed by its founder and spiritual leader, Ben Ammi Ben-Israel, now deceased. The Black Hebrews number about 3,000 in Dimona, with additional families in Arad, Mitzpe Ramon and the Tiberias area. Their official status in Israel was an ongoing issue for many years, but in May 1990, the issue was resolved with the issuing of first B/1 visas, and a year later, issuing of temporary residency. Status was extended to August 2003, when the Israeli Ministry of Interior granted permanent residency.
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 Dead Sea like the Dead Sea Works, high-tech companies and textile shops), and another third in the area of services. Due to the introduction of new technologies, many workers have been made redundant in the recent years, creating a total unemployment rate of about 10%. Dimona has taken part of Israel's solar transformation. The Rotem Industrial Complex outside of the city has dozens of solar mirrors that focus the sun's rays on a tower that in turn heats a water boiler to create steam, turning a turbine to create electricity. Luz II, Ltd. plans to use the solar array to test new technology for the three new solar plants to be built in California for Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
Geography Dimona is located in the Negev Desert. The city stands at an elevation of around 550โ600 metres (1,800โ1,970ย ft) above sea level.
Transport In the early 1950s, an extension to Dimona and south was constructed from the Railway to Beersheba, designed for freight traffic. A passenger service began in 2005, after pressure from Dimona's municipality. Dimona Railway Station is located in the south-western part of the city. The main bus terminal is the Dimona Central Bus Station, with lines to Beersheba, Tel Aviv, Eilat, and nearby towns.
Dimona has a population of over 35,892 people. Dimona also forms part of the wider Southern District which has a population of over 1,244,200 people. Dimona is situated 30 km south-east of Beersheba.
Twin Towns, Sister Cities Dimona has links with:
๐ฉ๐ช Andernach, Germany ๐ซ๐ท Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, France๐จ๐ณ Zhujiajiao 31.1
๐ช๐ฌ Kafr ash Shaykh 31.1
๐ช๐ฌ Kafr El Sheikh 31.1
๐ฎ๐ณ Nawanshahr 31.117
๐ช๐ฌ Al Mansurah 31.05
๐ช๐ฌ El Mansoura 31.043
๐บ๐ฆ Dnipropetrovsk 35.046
๐ฎ๐ฑ Kiryat Motzkin 35.079
๐ฎ๐ฑ Kiryat Ata 35.1
๐บ๐ฆ Zaporizhzhya 35.117
๐ฎ๐ฑ Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut 35.02
๐ฎ๐ฑ Modiโin Makkabbim Reโut 35
๐ฎ๐ฑ Beit Shemesh 34.991
๐ฎ๐ฑ Bet Shemesh 34.983
๐ฎ๐ฑ Rosh HaโAyin 34.95
๐ฎ๐ฑ Rosh HaAyin 34.95
Locations Near: Dimona 35.0333,31.0667
๐ฎ๐ฑ Be'er Sheva 34.794,31.244 d: 30.1
๐ฎ๐ฑ Beersheba 34.794,31.244 d: 30.1
๐ต๐ธ Hebron 35.083,31.517 d: 50.3
๐ต๐ธ Efrat 35.15,31.65 d: 65.8
๐ฎ๐ฑ Kiryat Gat 34.768,31.615 d: 65.9
๐ต๐ธ Bethlehem 35.201,31.707 d: 72.9
๐ฎ๐ฑ Bet Shemesh 34.983,31.733 d: 74.3
๐ฎ๐ฑ Beit Shemesh 34.991,31.738 d: 74.8
๐ฏ๐ด Al-Karak 35.703,31.18 d: 65
๐ต๐ธ Beit Lahia 34.5,31.55 d: 73.9
Antipodal to: Dimona -144.967,-31.067
๐ต๐ซ Papeete -149.566,-17.537 d: 18440.7
๐ฆ๐ธ Pago Pago -170.701,-14.279 d: 16796.1
๐น๐ด Nuku'alofa -175.216,-21.136 d: 16811.7
๐ผ๐ธ Apia -171.76,-13.833 d: 16676.5
๐บ๐ธ Hilo -155.089,19.725 d: 14264.8
๐บ๐ธ Maui -156.446,20.72 d: 14127.7
๐บ๐ธ Kahului -156.466,20.891 d: 14108.7
๐บ๐ธ Maui County -156.617,20.868 d: 14107.9