2005 Edition

Age structure

0-14 years: 48.5% (male 342,186/female 325,899) 15-64 years: 48.8% (male 342,927/female 329,354) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 15,036/female 20,887) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Airports

2 (2001) note: includes Gaza International Airport (GIA), inaugurated on 24 November 1998 as part of agreements stipulated in the September 1995 Oslo II Accord and the 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum; GIA has been largely closed since October 2000 by Israeli orders and its runway was destroyed by the Israeli Defense Forces in December 2001 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Area

land

360 sq km

total

360 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Background

The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which includes the Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January 1996, as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external and internal security and for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, but were derailed by a second intifadah that broke out in September 2000. The resulting widespread violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel's military response, and instability within the Palestinian Authority continued to undermine progress toward a permanent agreement. Following the death of longtime Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT in November 2004, the election of his successor Mahmud ABBAS in January 2005 brought about a turning point in the conflict. In February 2005 the Israeli Government voted to disengage from the Gaza Strip by dismantling all Israeli settlements and removing all Israeli settlers. This process was completed in September 2005. Nonetheless, Israel maintains offshore maritime control as well as airspace control. The future political status of the Gaza Strip has yet to be determined. Geography Gaza Strip

Birth rate

40.03 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$1.155 billion, including capital expenditures of NA; note - these budget data include West Bank (2003)

revenues

$676.6 million

Climate

temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Coastline

40 km

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Gaza Strip

local long form

none

local short form

Qita Ghazzah Economy Gaza Strip

Currency (code)

new Israeli shekel (ILS)

Currency code

ILS

Death rate

3.87 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$108 million (includes West Bank) (1997 est.)

Disputes - international

West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel announced its intention to pull out settlers and withdraw from the Gaza Strip in 2005

Economic aid - recipient

$2 billion (includes West Bank) (2004 est.)

Economy - overview

High population density, limited land access, and strict internal and external controls have kept economic conditions in the Gaza Strip - the smaller of the two areas under the Palestinian Authority - even more degraded than in the West Bank. An anticipated Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 may offer some medium-term opportunities for economic growth. The beginning of the second intifadah in September 2000 sparked an economic downturn, largely the result of Israeli closure policies; these policies, which were imposed in response to security interests in Israel, disrupted labor and commodity relationships with the Gaza Strip. In 2001, and even more severely in 2003, Israeli military measures in Palestinian Authority areas resulted in the destruction of much capital plant, the disruption of administrative structure, and widespread business closures. Including the West Bank, the UN estimates that more than 100,000 Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in Israel or in joint industrial zones have lost their jobs. International aid of $2 billion to Gaza Strip and the West Bank in 2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy and allowed some reforms in the government's financial operations. Meanwhile unemployment has continued at half the labor force. ARAFAT's death in 2004 leaves open more political options that could affect the economy.

Electricity - consumption

NA kWh

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Israel (2001)

Electricity - production

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Israel

Elevation extremes

highest point

Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m

lowest point

Mediterranean Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation; depletion and contamination of underground water resources

Ethnic groups

Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6%

Exchange rates

new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001), 4.0773 (2000)

Exports

$205 million f.o.b., includes West Bank (2002)

Exports - commodities

citrus, flowers

Exports - partners

Israel, Egypt, West Bank

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Gaza Strip

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

9%

industry

28%

services

63% (includes West Bank) (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $600 (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4.5% (2003 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$768 million (2003 est.)

Geographic coordinates

31 25 N, 34 20 E

Geography - note

there are 25 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Gaza Strip (February 2002 est.) People Gaza Strip

Heliports

1 (2004 est.) Military Gaza Strip

Highways

paved

NA km

total

NA km

unpaved

NA km note: small, poorly developed road network

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA

Imports

$1.9 billion c.i.f., includes West Bank (2002)

Imports - commodities

food, consumer goods, construction materials

Imports - partners

Israel, Egypt, West Bank

Industrial production growth rate

NA

Industries

generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center

Infant mortality rate

female

21.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

24.05 deaths/1,000 live births

total

22.93 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.2% (includes West Bank) (2001 est.)

Internet country code

.ps

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

3 (1999)

Internet users

60,000 (includes West Bank) (2001) Transportation Gaza Strip

Irrigated land

120 sq km (1998 est.)

Labor force

725,000 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 14%, industry 19%, services 66% (2004)

Land boundaries

border countries

Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km

total

62 km

Land use

arable land

28.95%

other

50% (2001)

permanent crops

21.05%

Languages

Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Life expectancy at birth

female

73.15 years (2005 est.)

male

70.5 years

total population

71.79 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

87.4% (2003 est.) Government Gaza Strip

male

96.3%

total population

91.9%

Location

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation

Median age

female

15.81 years (2005 est.)

male

15.5 years

total

15.65 years

Military branches

in accordance with the peace agreement, the Palestinian Authority is not permitted conventional military forces; there are, however, public security forces (2002)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA Transnational Issues Gaza Strip

Nationality

adjective

NA

noun

NA

Natural hazards

droughts

Natural resources

arable land, natural gas

Net migration rate

1.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Population

1,376,289 note: in addition, there are more than 5,000 Israeli settlers in the Gaza Strip (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

81% (2004 est.)

Population growth rate

3.77% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Gaza

Radio broadcast stations

AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

NA; note - most Palestinian households have radios (1999)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin)

922,674 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2004) This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Religions

Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%, Christian 0.7%, Jewish 0.6%

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population

1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Telephone system

domestic

rudimentary telephone services provided by an open-wire system

general assessment

NA

international

NA

Telephones - main lines in use

95,729 (total for Gaza Strip and West Bank) (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular

320,000 (cellular subscribers in both Gaza Strip and West Bank) (2002)

Television broadcast stations

2 (operated by the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation) (1997)

Televisions

NA; note - most Palestinian households have televisions (1997)

Terrain

flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain

Total fertility rate

5.91 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

50% (includes West Bank) (2003 est.)