2007 Edition

Age structure

0-14 years: 48.1% (male 351,642/female 335,060) 15-64 years: 49.4% (male 360,147/female 345,318) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 15,231/female 21,359) (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Airports

2

note

includes Gaza International Airport closed since its runway was destroyed by the Israeli Defense Forces in December 2001 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

1 (2006)

total

1

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

1

under 914 m

1 (2006)

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 in September 1993, provided for a transitional period of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. A transfer of authority to the Palestinian Authority (PA) 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. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and the West Bank began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, but were derailed by a second intifadah that broke out a year later. In April 2003, the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement has been postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides have not followed through on their commitments. Following Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004, Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA president in January 2005. A month later, Israel and the PA agreed to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments in an effort to move the peace process forward. In September 2005, Israel withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and four northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. A November 2005 PA-Israeli agreement authorized the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt under joint PA and Egyptian control. In January 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The international community has refused to accept the HAMAS-led government because it does not recognize Israel, will not renounce violence, and refuses to honor previous peace agreements between Israel and the PA. Since March 2006, President Abbas has had little success negotiating with HAMAS to present a political platform acceptable to the international community so as to lift the economic siege on Palestinians. The PLC was unable to convene in late 2006 as a result of Israel's detention of many HAMAS PLC members and Israeli-imposed travel restrictions on other PLC members. Geography Gaza Strip

Birth rate

39.45 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$1.64 billion; including capital expenditures of $44 million; note - these budget data include West Bank (2005)

revenues

$1.23 billion

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

3.8 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Debt - external

NA (2002)

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 removed settlers and military personnel from the Gaza Strip in August 2005

Economic aid - recipient

$1.14 billion; note - includes West Bank (2004 est.)

Economy - overview

High population density, limited land access, and strict internal and external security controls have kept economic conditions in the Gaza Strip - the smaller of the two areas under the Palestinian Authority (PA)- even more degraded than in the West Bank. 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 to address security concerns in Israel, disrupted labor and trade access to and from the Gaza Strip. In 2001, and even more severely in 2003, Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of capital, the disruption of administrative structures, and widespread business closures. The Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in September 2005 offered some medium-term opportunities for economic growth, which have not yet been realized due to Israeli military activities in the Gaza Strip in 2006, continued crossings closures, and the international community's financial embargo of the PA after HAMAS took office in March 2006.

Electricity - consumption

230,000 kWh

Electricity - exports

0 kWh

Electricity - imports

90,000 kWh; note - from Israeli Electric Company (2005)

Electricity - production

140,000 kWh

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 - 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002)

Exports

$313 million f.o.b.; note - includes West Bank (2004)

Exports - commodities

citrus, flowers, textiles

Exports - partners

Israel, Egypt, West Bank

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Gaza Strip

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

8%

industry

18.2%

services

73.9% (includes West Bank) (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,500 (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4.9% (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

NA

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$5.327 billion (2005 est.)

Geographic coordinates

31 25 N, 34 20 E

Geography - note

strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes has experienced an incredibly turbulent history; the town of Gaza itself has been besieged countless times in its history People Gaza Strip

Heliports

1 (2006)

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

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

Imports

$1.37 billion c.i.f.; note - includes West Bank (2004)

Imports - commodities

food, consumer goods, construction materials

Imports - partners

Israel, Egypt, West Bank (2004)

Industrial production growth rate

2.4%

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, but operations ceased prior to Israel's evacuation of Gaza Strip settlements

Infant mortality rate

female

21.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

23.48 deaths/1,000 live births

total

22.4 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.2% (includes West Bank) (2005)

Internet country code

.ps

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

3 (1999)

Internet users

243,000 (includes West Bank) (2005) Transportation Gaza Strip

Irrigated land

150 sq km; note - includes West Bank (2003)

Labor force

259,000 (2005)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

12%

industry

18%

services

70% (2005)

Land boundaries

border countries

Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km

total

62 km

Land use

arable land

29%

other

50% (2002)

permanent crops

21%

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

73.34 years (2006 est.)

male

70.67 years

total population

71.97 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

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49

260,855 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49

221,530 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males age 18-49

15,196 (2005 est.)

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

16 years (2006 est.)

male

15.7 years

total

15.8 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

1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Population

1,428,757 (July 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

81% (2004 est.)

Population growth rate

3.71% (2006 est.)

Ports and terminals

Gaza Military Gaza Strip

Radio broadcast stations

AM 0, FM 8, shortwave 0 (2005)

Radios

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin)

993,818 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2006) This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

Religions

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

Roadways

note

see entry for West Bank

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

under 15 years

1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female

Telephone system

domestic

Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services in the Gaza Strip; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services

general assessment

NA

international

country code - 970

Telephones - main lines in use

349,000 (includes West Bank) (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1.095 million (includes West Bank) (2005)

Television broadcast stations

1 (2005)

Televisions

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

Terrain

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

Total fertility rate

5.78 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate

31% (includes West Bank) (January-September 2005 avg.)