Haifa 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 Bay of Haifa, about 90 km north of Tel Aviv, and is one of the country's major industrial centers. Haifa is built on the slopes of the historic Mount Carmel. Known in the 3rd century CE as a dye making center, the city is today home to a mixed population of Jews and Arabs, as well as to the Bahá'í World Centre, and two world-class academic institutions, the University of Haifa and the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. High tech companies such as Intel, IBM, Microsoft, Motorola, and Google have opened R&D facilities in Haifa in recent years.