A conurbation is a large, expansive urban area including suburbs and smaller towns gathered around a large central city. Tel Aviv is referred to as a conurbation in that its population is spread accross a large area of land and not concentrated. It became as such by the development of "New Towns" around the city. At first the towns were independent of the city of Tel Aviv, but over time the expansion of Tel Aviv took over these areas.
This first map demonstrates the way the conurbation was constructed in the late 1960's. However, many of the towns that appear separate from the city at this time are now part of the conurbation. They can be considered as such in that they are part of a vast expanse of built-up land.
This next map demonstrates the size of the conurbation now.
Not only have the residential areas expanded far to the north, south and east, but the transportation corridors have also extended outward.
Tel Aviv is continually expanding onto formerly agricultural land, which continues to present a problem for land scarcity in Israel.
Current Urban Structure of Tel Aviv