Haifa (Hebrew: חֵיפָה Ḥefa; Arabic: حَيْفَا Ḥayfā ) is the largest city in northern Israel and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of about 267,800. The city is a seaport located on Israel's Mediterranean coastline in the Haifa Bay, about 90 km north of Tel Aviv, and is one of the country's major industrial centers.
The city is hilly, being located below and on the historic Mount Carmel, and is first mentioned historically in the 3rd century CE as a dye making center. Today, the city is home to a mixed population of Jews and Arabs, which is secular by nature. As such, Haifa is unique in Israel, to have public transport running on Saturdays. The city is also home to the Bahá'í World Centre (inculduing the Bahá'í Gardens), a central location to the Bahá'í Faith, as well as hosting two world-class academic institutions, the University of Haifa, and the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. Recently, hi-tech industry has started to inhabit the city with the likes of Intel, IBM and Microsoft locating Research and Development facilities here.