FACTBOX-Five facts about Tel Aviv, Israel's economic hub

(Reuters) - Tel Aviv would be among Iran's first targets if attacked over its disputed nuclear programme, an aide to Iran's Supreme Leader was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

Following are some key facts about Israel's metropolis:

- About 2 million people live in the greater Tel Aviv area -- about 30 percent of Israelis. Of these, 380,000 live in the city of Tel Aviv, which incorporates the ancient port of Jaffa.

- A largely secular city and the business capital, the area is home to the Jewish state's main international airport and stock exchange, as well as many of its biggest companies. It is a tourist destination, boasting some of Israel's priciest beachfront hotels and residences, smart restaurants and bars, but also features poorer suburbs populated by new immigrants.

- Tel Aviv was founded by Jews in 1909 under Ottoman Turkish rule in Palestine on the outskirts of the ancient Arab port city of Jaffa. The name means "Spring Hill" and was taken from the Hebrew title of a utopian novel by Zionist leader Theodor Herzl.

- Also dubbed the "White City", Tel Aviv boasts many 1930s Modernist-style buildings inspired by Germany's Bauhaus school and was declared a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO.

- Tel Aviv has often been targeted by Palestinian suicide bombers, some linked to Islamist groups backed by Iran. Saddam Hussein's Iraq hit Israel with 39 Scud missiles, some of which struck Tel Aviv, in early 1991 during the first Gulf War. They caused damage but few serious casualties. To protect Tel Aviv, Israel has a range of defences against guerrilla attacks, air defences that include around 500 warplanes and what is assumed to be the Middle East's only arsenal of nuclear missiles.