Tel Aviv University (TAU) (Hebrew: אוניברסיטת תל־אביב‎ Universitat Tel Aviv) is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university. Located in Israel's cultural, financial and industrial core, Tel Aviv University is a major center of teaching and research, comprising 9 faculties, 27 schools, 98 departments and 128 research institutes and centers. Its origins go back to 1956, when three research institutes - the Tel Aviv School of Law and Economics, the Institute of Natural Sciences, and the Institute of Jewish Studies - joined together to form the University of Tel Aviv. Initially operated by the Tel Aviv municipality, the university was granted autonomy in 1963. The Ramat Aviv campus, covering an area of 170-acre (0.69 km), was established that same year. The university also maintains academic supervision over the Center for Technological Design in Holon, the New Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo, and the Afeka College of Engineering in Tel Aviv. The Wise Observatory is located in Mitzpe Ramon.