a city in Israel, on the Mediterranean Sea. Population 225,800 (December 1974). Israel’s chief port, Haifa handled 4.7 million tons of freight in 1975. The city is a railroad and highway junction. Industry is represented by oil refining, ferrous metallurgy, metalworking, food processing, and the production of textiles, glass, cement, and motor vehicles. Haifa also has chemical and rubber industries. It is the terminus of an oil pipeline from Elath.
The remains of a Crusader fortress and of a hospital (1964) are noteworthy. The modern city stretches from the port, where the city’s industrial and business areas are located, to the top of Mount Carmel. Wealthy residential areas with private houses are found on the slopes of the mountain. The complex of the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) is of particular interest; notable are the buildings of the faculty of aeronautical engineering (1953–54) and the Coastal and Ocean Engineering Center (1957–58). Haifa has museums of ancient, modern, and Japanese art.