1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
temperate; hot and dry in desert areas
Coastline
273 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than New Jersey
Continental shelf
to depth of exploitation
Disputes
separated from Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank by the 1949 Armistice Line; differences with Jordan over the location of the 1949 Armistice Line that separates the two countries; West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli occupied with status to be determined; Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; water-sharing issues with Jordan
Environment
sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; limited arable land and natural water resources pose serious constraints; deforestation
Land area
20,330 km2
Land boundaries
1,006 km; Egypt 255 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307, Gaza Strip 51 km
Land use
arable land 17%; permanent crops 5%; meadows and pastures 40%; forest and woodland 6%; other 32%; includes irrigated 11%
Natural resources
copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, asphalt, manganese, small amounts of natural gas and crude oil
Note
there are 175 Jewish settlements in the West Bank, 38 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 18 in the Gaza Strip, and 14 Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem
Terrain
Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Territorial sea
6 nm
Total area
20,770 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
21 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
Jewish 83%, non-Jewish (mostly Arab) 17%
Infant mortality rate
9 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
1,400,000 (1984 est.); public services 29.3%; industry, mining, and manufacturing 22.8%; commerce 12.8%; finance and business 9.5%; transport, storage, and communications 6.8%; construction and public works 6.5%; personal and other services 5.8%; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 5.5%; electricity and water 1.0% (1983)
Languages
Hebrew (official); Arabic used officially for Arab minority; English most commonly used foreign language
Life expectancy at birth
76 years male, 80 years female (1992)
Literacy
92% (male 95%, female 89%) age 15 and over can read and write (1983)
Nationality
noun - Israeli(s); adjective - Israeli
Net migration rate
26 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
90% of labor force
Population
4,748,059 (July 1992), growth rate 4.0% (1992); includes 95,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, 14,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 4,000 in the Gaza Strip, and 132,000 in East Jerusalem (1992 est.)
Religions
Judaism 82%, Islam (mostly Sunni Muslim) 14%, Christian 2%, Druze and other 2%
Total fertility rate
2.9 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
Capital
Israel proclaimed Jerusalem its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv
Chief of State
President Chaim HERZOG (since 5 May 1983)
Communists
Hadash (predominantly Arab but with Jews in its leadership) has some 1,500 members
Constitution
no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the basic laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Zalman SHOVAL; Chancery at 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 364-5500; there are Israeli Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco US: Ambassador William HARROP; Embassy at 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv (mailing address is APO AE 09830; telephone [972] (3) 654338; FAX [972] (3) 663449; there is a US Consulate General in Jerusalem
Executive branch
president, prime minister, vice prime minister, Cabinet
Flag
white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag
Head of Government
Prime Minister Yitzhak SHAMIR (since 20 October 1986)
Independence
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Knesset
last held June 1992 (next to be held by NA; results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (120 total) Labor Party 44, Likud bloc 12, SHAS 6, National Religious Party 6, Meretz 12, Agudat Yisrael 4, PAZI 3, MAKI 3, Tehiya Party 3, Tzomet Party 8, Moledet Party 3, Degel HaTorah 4, Center Movement Progressive List for Peace 1, Arab Democratic Party 2; Black Panthers 1, Moriya 1, Ge'ulat Yisrael 1, Unity for Peace and Aliyah 1
Legal system
mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral parliament (Knesset)
Long-form name
State of Israel
Member of
AG (observer), CCC, EBRD, FAO, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Members of the government
Likud bloc, Prime Minister Yitzhak SHAMIR; Sephardic Torah Guardians (SHAS), Minister of Interior Arieh DER'I; National Religious Party, Minister of Education Shulamit ALONI; Agudat Israel, Avraham SHAPIRA; Degel HaTorah, Avraham RAVITZ; Moriya, Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Yair TZABAN; Ge'ulat Israel, Eliezer MIZRAHI; New Liberal Party, Minister of Finance, Avraham SHOCHAT; Tehiya Party, Minister of Science Technology, Yuval NEEMAN; Tzomet Party Unity for Peace and Aliyah, Rafael EITAN; Moledet Party, Rehavam ZEEVI
National holiday
Independence Day; Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May
Opposition parties
Labor Party, Shimon PERES; Citizens' Rights Movement, Shulamit ALONI; United Workers' Party (MAPAM), Yair TZABAN; Center Movement-Shinui, Amnon RUBENSTEIN; New Israeli Communist Party (MAKI), Meir WILNER; Progressive List for Peace, Muhammad MI'ARI; Arab Democratic Party, `Abd Al Wahab DARAWSHAH; Black Panthers, Charlie BITON
Other political or pressure groups
Gush Emunim, Jewish nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now, critical of government's West Bank/Gaza Strip and Lebanon policies
Political parties and leaders
Israel currently has a coalition government comprising 12 parties that hold 66 of the Knesset's 120 seats; currently in state of flux; election held 23 June 1992
President
last held 23 February 1988 (next to be held February 1994); results - Chaim HERZOG reelected by Knesset
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for about 3% of GDP; largely self-sufficient in food production, except for grains; principal products - citrus and other fruits, vegetables, cotton; livestock products - beef, dairy, and poultry
Budget
revenues $41.7 billion; expenditures $47.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92)
Currency
new Israeli shekel (plural - shekels); 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $18.2 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2.8 billion
Electricity
5,300,000 kWh capacity; 21,000 million kWh produced, 4,800 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.4019 (March 1992), 2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946 (1987)
Exports
$12.1 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: polished diamonds, citrus and other fruits, textiles and clothing, processed foods, fertilizer and chemical products, military hardware, electronics partners: US, EC, Japan, Hong Kong, Switzerland
External debt
$24 billion, of which government debt is $17 billion (December 1991 est.)
Fiscal year
previously 1 April - 31 March; FY91 was 1 April - 31 December, and since 1 January 1992 the fiscal year has conformed to the calendar year
GDP
purchasing power equivalent - $54.6 billion, per capita $12,000; real growth rate 5% (1991 est.)
Imports
$18.1 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.) commodities: military equipment, rough diamonds, oil, chemicals, machinery, iron and steel, cereals, textiles, vehicles, ships, aircraft partners: US, EC, Switzerland, Japan, South Africa, Canada, Hong Kong
Industrial production
growth rate - 7% (1991 est.); accounts for about 20% of GDP
Industries
food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, metal products, military equipment, transport equipment, electrical equipment, miscellaneous machinery, potash mining, high-technology electronics, tourism
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
18% (1991 est.)
Overview
Israel has a market economy with substantial government participation. It depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years. Industry employs about 20% of Israeli workers, agriculture 5%, and services most of the rest. Diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are leading exports. Israel usually posts balance-of-payments deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's $17 billion external debt is owed to the United States, which is its major source of economic and military aid. To earn needed foreign exchange, Israel has been targeting high-technology niches in international markets, such as medical scanning equipment. Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 dealt a blow to Israel's economy. Higher world oil prices added an estimated $300 million to the oil import bill that year and helped keep annual inflation at 18%. Regional tension and the continuing Palestinian uprising (intifadah) have contributed to a sharp drop in tourism - a key foreign exchange earner - to the lowest level since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. The influx of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR, which topped 330,000 during the period 1990-91, will increase unemployment, intensify housing problems, widen the government budget deficit, and fuel inflation.
Unemployment rate
11% (1991 est.)
Communications
Airports
51 total, 44 usable; 26 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 11 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
32 major transport aircraft
Highways
4,750 km; majority is bituminous surfaced
Merchant marine
34 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 629,966 GRT/721,106 DWT; includes 8 cargo, 23 container, 2 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off; note - Israel also maintains a significant flag of convenience fleet, which is normally at least as large as the Israeli flag fleet; the Israeli flag of convenience fleet typically includes all of its petroleum tankers
Pipelines
crude oil 708 km; petroleum products 290 km; natural gas 89 km
Ports
Ashdod, Haifa
Railroads
600 km 1.435-meter gauge, single track; diesel operated
Telecommunications
most highly developed in the Middle East although not the largest; good system of coaxial cable and radio relay; 1,800,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 14 AM, 21 FM, 20 TV; 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT
Military and Security
Branches
Israel Defense Forces, including ground, naval, and air components; historically, there have been no separate Israeli military services
Defense expenditures
$7.5 billion, 12.1% of GNP (1992 budget); note - does not include pay for reserve soldiers and other defense-related categories; actual outlays would therefore be higher
Manpower availability
eligible 15-49, 2,357,195; of the 1,189,275 males 15-49, 977,332 are fit for military service; of the 1,167,920 females 15-49, 955,928 are fit for military service; 44,624 males and 42,705 females reach military age (18) annually; both sexes are liable for military service; Nahal or Pioneer Fighting Youth, Frontier Guard, Chen