2008 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2008 (Project Gutenberg)
Introduction
Background
The September 1993 Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements provided for a transitional period of Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under a series of agreements signed between May 1994 and September 1999, Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza stalled following the outbreak of an intifada in September 2000, as Israeli forces reoccupied most Palestinian-controlled areas. 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 was postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides had 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 unilaterally withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and withdrew settlers and redeployed soldiers from four small 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 refused to accept the HAMAS-led government because it did not recognize Israel, would not renounce violence, and refused to honor previous peace agreements between Israel and the PA. HAMAS took control of the PA government in March 2006, but President ABBAS had little success negotiating with HAMAS to present a political platform acceptable to the international community so as to lift economic sanctions on Palestinians. The PLC was unable to convene throughout most of 2006 as a result of Israel's detention of many HAMAS PLC members and Israeli-imposed travel restrictions on other PLC members. Violent clashes took place between Fatah and HAMAS supporters in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and early 2007, resulting in numerous Palestinian deaths and injuries. ABBAS and HAMAS Political Bureau Chief MISHAL in February 2007 signed the Mecca Agreement in Saudi Arabia that resulted in the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government (NUG) headed by HAMAS member Ismail HANIYA. However, fighting continued in the Gaza Strip, and in June, HAMAS militants succeeded in a violent takeover of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip. ABBAS dismissed the NUG and through a series of Presidential decrees formed a PA government in the West Bank led by independent Salam FAYYAD. HAMAS rejected the NUG's dismissal and has called for resuming talks with Fatah, but ABBAS has ruled out negotiations until HAMAS agrees to a return of PA control over the Gaza Strip and recognizes the FAYYAD-led government. FAYYAD and his PA government initiated a series of security and economic reforms to improve conditions in the West Bank. ABBAS participated in talks with Israel's Prime Minister OLMERT and secured the release of some Palestinian prisoners and previously withheld customs revenue. During a November 2007 international meeting in Annapolis Maryland, ABBAS and OLMERT agreed to resume peace negotiations with the goal of reaching a final peace settlement by the end of 2008.
Geography
Area
total: 360 sq km land: 360 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Climate
temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers
Coastline
40 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m
Environment - current issues
desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation; depletion and contamination of underground water resources
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
Irrigated land
150 sq km; note - includes West Bank (2003)
Land boundaries
total: 62 km border countries: Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km
Land use
arable land: 29% permanent crops: 21% other: 50% (2002)
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
Natural hazards
droughts
Natural resources
arable land, natural gas
Terrain
flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 44.7% (male 343,988/female 325,856) 15-64 years: 52.7% (male 403,855/female 386,681) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 16,196/female 23,626) (2008 est.)
Birth rate
37.75 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate
3.53 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Education expenditures
NA
Ethnic groups
Palestinian Arab
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
Infant mortality rate
total: 19 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.22 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Languages
Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 73.16 years male: 71.6 years female: 74.83 years (2008 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.4% male: 96.7% female: 88% (2004 est.)
Median age
total: 17.2 years male: 17 years female: 17.4 years (2008 est.)
Nationality
noun: NA adjective: NA
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Population
1,500,202 (July 2008 est.)
Population growth rate
3.422% (2008 est.)
Religions
Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 99.3%, Christian 0.7%
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate
5.19 children born/woman (2008 est.)
Government
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Gaza Strip local long form: none local short form: Qita Ghazzah
Economy
Agriculture - products
olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products
Budget
revenues: $1.149 billion expenditures: $2.31 billion note: includes West Bank (2006)
Commercial bank prime lending rate
7.73% (31 December 2006)
Currency (code)
new Israeli shekel (ILS)
Currency code
ILS
Debt - external
$NA
Economic aid - recipient
$1.4 billion; (includes West Bank) (2006 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 intifada 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, but continued Israeli-imposed crossings closures, which became more restrictive after Hamas violently took over the territory in June 2007, have resulted in widespread private sector layoffs and shortages of most goods.
Electricity - consumption
230,000 kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports
90,000 kWh; note - from Israeli Electric Company (2005)
Electricity - production
140,000 kWh (2005)
Exchange rates
new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003)
Exports
$301 million f.o.b.; (includes West Bank) (2005)
Exports - commodities
citrus, flowers, textiles
Exports - partners
Israel, Egypt, West Bank (2006)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 8% industry: 13% services: 79% (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$1,100 (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
-8% (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$5.328 billion (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$5.034 billion (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$2.44 billion c.i.f.; (includes West Bank) (2005)
Imports - commodities
food, consumer goods, construction materials
Imports - partners
Israel, Egypt, West Bank (2006)
Industrial production growth rate
2.4% (includes West Bank) (2005)
Industries
generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis had established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center, but operations ceased prior to Israel's evacuation of Gaza Strip settlements
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.6% (includes West Bank) (2006)
Labor force
267,000 (2006)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture: 12% industry: 18% services: 70% (2005)
Population below poverty line
80% (2007 est.)
Stock of domestic credit
$1.455 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of money
$1.574 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money
$3.048 billion (31 December 2007)
Unemployment rate
34.8% (2006)
Communications
Internet country code
.ps; note - same as West Bank
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
3 (1999)
Internet users
355,500 (includes West Bank) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 0, FM 10, shortwave 0 (2008)
Radios
NA; note - most Palestinian households have radios (1999)
Telephone system
general assessment: NA domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services international: country code - 970 (2004)
Telephones - main lines in use
350,400 (includes West Bank) (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular
1.026 million (includes West Bank) (2007)
Television broadcast stations
1 (2008)
Televisions
NA; note - most Palestinian households have televisions (1997)
Transportation
Airports
2 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Heliports
1 (2007)
Ports and terminals
Gaza
Roadways
note: see entry for West Bank
Military and Security
Manpower available for military service
males age 16-49: 337,670 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 16-49: 291,467 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
male: 19,275 female: 18,309 (2008 est.)
Military branches
in accordance with the peace agreement, the Palestinian Authority is not permitted conventional military forces; there are, however, public security forces (2008)
Military expenditures
NA
Transnational Issues
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
Refugees and internally displaced persons
refugees (country of origin): 1.017 million (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2007) This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008