Ashdod is the sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District, it lies on the Mediterranean coast 32 kilometres south of Tel Aviv and 20 km north of Ashkelon. Ashdod's port is the largest in Israel, handling 60% of the country's imported goods. Ashdod has a history spanning approximately 3,700 years. In biblical times, it was one of the five principal cities of the Philistines.