2010 Edition

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 many Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip stalled following the outbreak of an intifada in September 2000. 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. 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 still controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip; and it enforces a restricted zone along the border inside Gaza. In January 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). 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. Violent clashes between Fatah and HAMAS supporters in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and early 2007 resulted in numerous Palestinian deaths and injuries. In February 2007, ABBAS and HAMAS Political Bureau Chief MISHAL 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 2007, 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 despite multiple rounds of Egyptian-brokered reconciliation negotiations, the two groups have failed to bridge their differences. Late November 2007 through June 2008 witnessed a substantial increase in Israeli-Palestinian violence. An Egyptian-brokered truce in June 2008 between Israel and HAMAS brought about a five-month pause in hostilities, but spiraling end-of-year violence resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,100 to 1,400 Palestinians and left tens of thousands of people homeless. International donors pledged $4.5 billion in aid to rebuild the Gaza Strip, but by the end of 2010 large-scale reconstruction had not begun.

Area

land

360 sq km

total

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

highest point

Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Awdah) 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

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

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

Land boundaries

border countries

Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km

total

62 km

Land use

arable land

29%

other

50% (2002)

permanent crops

21%

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 44.4% (male 353,489/female 334,770) 15-64 years: 53% (male 420,618/female 402,297) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 16,483/female 24,202) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

36.26 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

3.36 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 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

female

16.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

18.87 deaths/1,000 live births

total

17.71 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

75.4 years (2010 est.)

male

72.05 years

total population

73.68 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

88% (2004 est.)

male

96.7%

total population

92.4%

Median age

female

17.7 years (2010 est.)

male

17.4 years

total

17.5 years

Nationality

adjective

NA

noun

NA

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Population

1,604,238 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

3.29% (2010 est.)

Religions

Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 99.3%, Christian 0.7%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

14 years (2006)

male

13 years

total

14 years

Sex ratio

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female

total population

1.04 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.9 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

3.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

72% of total population (2008)

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Gaza Strip

local long form

none

local short form

Qita' Ghazzah

Agriculture - products

olives, fruit, vegetables, flowers; beef, dairy products

Commercial bank prime lending rate

see entry for West Bank

Debt - external

see entry for West Bank

Economy - overview

High population density, limited land and sea access, continuing isolation, and strict internal and external security controls have degraded economic conditions in the Gaza Strip - the smaller of the two areas in the Palestinian Territories. Israeli-imposed crossings closures, which became more restrictive after HAMAS violently took over the territory in June 2007, and fighting between HAMAS and Israel during December 2008-January 2009, resulted in the near collapse of most of the private sector, extremely high unemployment, and high poverty rates. Shortages of goods are met through large-scale humanitarian assistance - led by UNRWA - and the HAMAS-regulated black market tunnel trade that flourishes under the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt. However, chnages to the blockade in 2010 included moving from a white list - in which only approved items were allowed into Gaza through the crossings - to a black list, where all but non-approved items were allowed into Gaza through the crossings. Israeli authorities have recently signaled that exports from the territory might be possible in the future, but currently regular exports from Gaza are not permitted.

Electricity - consumption

202,000 kWh (2009)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

120,000 kWh; note - from Israeli Electric Company (2009)

Electricity - production

65,000 kWh (2009)

Exchange rates

new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.7461 (2010), 3.9326 (2009), 3.56 (2008), 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006)

Exports - commodities

strawberries, carnations

GDP - composition by sector

see entry for West Bank

GDP - per capita (PPP)

see entry for West Bank

GDP - real growth rate

see entry for West Bank

GDP (purchasing power parity)

see entry for West Bank

Imports

see entry for West Bank

Imports - commodities

food, consumer goods note: Israel permits limited imports through crossings with Gaza, but many "dual use" goods, such as construction materials, are smuggled through tunnels beneath Gaza's border with Egypt

Industrial production growth rate

see entry for West Bank

Industries

textiles, food processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

9.9% (2009 est.) 11.5% (2008) note: includes West Bank

Labor force

339,000 (2009)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

12%

industry

5%

services

83% (June 2008)

Oil - consumption

See entry for West Bank

Oil - exports

See entry for West Bank

Oil - imports

See entry for West Bank

Oil - production

See entry for West Bank

Oil - proved reserves

NA bbl NA bbl

Population below poverty line

70% (2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

note: see entry for West Bank

Unemployment rate

40% (2010 est.) 40% (2009 est.)

Broadcast media

1 television station and about 10 radio stations (2008)

Internet country code

.ps; note - same as West Bank

Internet users

1.379 million (includes West Bank) (2009)

Telephone system

domestic

Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services; the Palestinian JAWWAL company provides cellular services

general assessment

Gaza continues to repair the damage to its telecommunications infrastructure caused by fighting in 2009

international

country code - 970 (2009)

Telephones - main lines in use

360,400 (includes West Bank) (2010)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2.405 million (includes West Bank) (2010)

Airports

1 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2010)

Heliports

1 (2010)

Ports and terminals

Gaza

Roadways

note: see entry for West Bank

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 372,843 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 324,203 females age 16-49: 308,835 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

18,010 (2010 est.)

male

18,931

Military branches

Palestinian Authority security forces have operated only in the West Bank, not in the Gaza Strip, since HAMAS seized power in June 2007; law and order and other security functions are performed by HAMAS security organizations (2008)

Military expenditures

NA

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) page last updated on January 11, 2011 ======================================================================