The foundation was laid on Wednesday for construction of the Israeli national pavilion at Shanghai World Expo 2010.

Covering 2,000 square meters, the Israeli pavilion will be near the China Hall, and the pavilions of Pakistan and of United Arab Emirates, said Zhang Yunjie, special assistant to chief of the Shanghai World Expo Coordination Bureau, at a function to mark the event.

The pavilion will take the shape of a seashell, and upon completion, the architecture will feature science and innovation.

The pavilion would be completed well before May 1 next year, the opening date of the Expo, which would run for half a year, said Zhang.

A one-year countdown would be launched in Beijing on Friday to raise awareness of the Expo among the general public in China, according to the organizers.

The organizers confirmed Monday that preparations for the expo have been going smoothly, with 234 countries and international organizations having confirmed their participation in the event.

Some 40 countries and international organizations have decided to build their own halls or pavilions at the Shanghai World Expo, half of which are under construction or finished.

Hong Hao, director-general of the Shanghai World Expo Coordination Bureau, said more than 1 million tickets for group visitors have been sold for the expo since sales began on March 17.

Tickets for individuals will go on sale on July 1 this year.

Hong said the expo is expected to earn 6 billion yuan (US$878 million) from ticket sales. The total expense of organizing the event is estimated at 10.6 billion yuan.

The organizers say the event is expected to attracted 70 million visitors, 5 percent of them from abroad.

(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2009)