1999 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1999 (Internet Archive)
Introduction
Background
The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the data below, unless otherwise noted. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations are being conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives, and Israel and Syria, to achieve a permanent settlement between them. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace treaty. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace.
Geography
Area
total: 20,770 sq km land: 20,330 sq km water: 440 sq km
Area--comparative
slightly smaller than New Jersey
Climate
temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Coastline
273 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m
Environment--current issues
limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
Environment--international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation
Geographic coordinates
31 30 N, 34 45 E
Geography--note
there are 216 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 24 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 1998 est.)
Irrigated land
1,800 sq km (1993 est.)
Land boundaries
total: 1,006 km border countries: Egypt 255 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km
Land use
arable land: 17% permanent crops: 4% permanent pastures: 7% forests and woodland: 6% other: 66% (1993 est.)
Location
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
Map references
Middle East
Maritime claims
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural hazards
sandstorms may occur during spring and summer
Natural resources
copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, asphalt, manganese, small amounts of natural gas and crude oil
Terrain
Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 28% (male 822,192; female 783,905) 15-64 years: 62% (male 1,792,062; female 1,783,755) 65 years and over: 10% (male 244,438; female 323,408) (1999 est.)
Birth rate
19.83 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate
6.16 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Ethnic groups
Jewish 80.1% (Europe/America-born 32.1%, Israel-born 20.8%, Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish 19.9% (mostly Arab) (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate
7.78 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Languages
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 78.61 years male: 76.71 years female: 80.61 years (1999 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95% male: 97% female: 93% (1992 est.)
Nationality
noun: Israeli(s) adjective: Israeli
Net migration rate
4.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Population
5,749,760 (July 1999 est.) note: includes about 166,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 19,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, about 6,000 in the Gaza Strip, and about 176,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1998 est.)
Population growth rate
1.81% (1999 est.)
Religions
Judaism 80.1%, Islam 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian 2.1%, other 3.2% (1996 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.68 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
6 districts (mehozot, singular--mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
Capital
Jerusalem note: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv
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
Country name
conventional long form: State of Israel conventional short form: Israel local long form: Medinat Yisra'el local short form: Yisra'el
Data code
IS
Executive branch
chief of state: President Ezer WEIZMAN (since 13 May 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU (since 18 June 1996) cabinet: Cabinet selected from and approved by the Knesset elections: president elected by the Knesset for a five-year term; election last held 4 March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003); prime minister elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 29 May 1996 (early elections are scheduled for 17 May 1999); note--in March 1992, the Knesset approved legislation, effective in 1996, which allowed for the direct election of the prime minister; under the new law, each voter casts two ballots--one for the direct election of the prime minister and one for the party in the Knesset; the candidate that receives the largest percentage of the popular vote then works to form a coalition with other parties to achieve a parliamentary majority of 61 seats; finally, the candidate must submit his or her cabinet to the Knesset for approval and this must be done within 45 days of the election; in contrast to the old system, under the new law, the prime minister's party need not be the single-largest party in the Knesset election results: Ezer WEIZMAN reelected president by the Knesset with a total of 63 votes, other candidate, Shaul AMOR, received 49 votes (there were seven abstentions and one absence); Binyamin NETANYAHU elected prime minister; percent of vote--Binyamin NETANYAHU 50.4%, Shimon PERES 49.5%
Flag description
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
Government type
republic
Independence
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
International organization participation
BSEC (observer), CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Zalman SHOVAL chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Edward S. WALKER, Jr. embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv mailing address: PSC 98, Unit 7228, APO AE 09830 consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note--an independent US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign government
Judicial branch
Supreme Court, appointed for life by the president Political parties and leaders: Political pressure groups and leaders: Gush Emunim, Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and is critical of government's Lebanon policy
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 Knesset or parliament (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 29 May 1996 (early elections are scheduled for 17 May 1999) election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--Labor Party 34, Likud Party 32, SHAS 10, MERETZ 9, National Religious Party 9, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya 7, Hadash-Balad 5, Third Way 4, United Arab List 4, United Jewish Torah 4, Moledet 2; note--Likud, Tzomet, and Gesher candidates ran on a joint list
National holiday
Independence Day, 14 May 1948; note--Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture--products
citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products
Budget
revenues: $55 billion expenditures: $58 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)
Currency
1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
Debt--external
$18.7 billion (1997)
Economic aid--recipient
$1.241 billion (1994); note?$1.2 billion from the US (1997)
Economy--overview
Israel has a technologically advanced 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. Manufacturing and construction employ about 28% of Israeli workers; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6%; and services the rest. Israel is largely self-sufficient in food production except for grains. Diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are leading exports. Israel usually posts sizable current account deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's external debt is owed to the US, which is its major source of economic and military aid. The influx of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR topped 750,000 during the period 1989-98, bringing the population of Israel from the former Soviet Union to one million, one-sixth of the total population and adding scientific and professional expertise of substantial value for the economy's future. The influx, coupled with the opening of new markets at the end of the Cold War, energized Israel's economy, which grew rapidly in the early 1990s. But growth began slowing in 1996 when the government imposed tighter fiscal and monetary policies and the immigration bonus petered out.
Electricity--consumption
27.725 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports
310 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--production
28.035 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source
fossil fuel: 99.88% hydro: 0.12% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Exchange rates
new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--4.2269 (November 1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994)
Exports
$22.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports--commodities
machinery and equipment, cut diamonds, chemicals, textiles and apparel, agricultural products, metals
Exports--partners
US 32%, UK, Hong Kong, Benelux, Japan, Netherlands (1997)
Fiscal year
calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
GDP
purchasing power parity--$101.9 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector
agriculture: 2% industry: 17% services: 81% (1997 est.)
GDP--per capita
purchasing power parity?$18,100 (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate
1.9% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 26.9% (1992)
Imports
$26.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports--commodities
raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, oil, consumer goods
Imports--partners
US 19%, Benelux 12%, Germany 9%, UK 8%, Italy 7%, Switzerland 6% (1997)
Industrial production growth rate
5.4% (1996)
Industries
food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, textiles and apparel, chemicals, metal products, military equipment, transport equipment, electrical equipment, potash mining, high-technology electronics, tourism
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5.4% (1998 est.)
Labor force
2.3 million (1997)
Labor force--by occupation
public services 31.2%, manufacturing 20.2%, finance and business 13.1%, commerce 12.8%, construction 7.5%, personal and other services 6.4%, transport, storage, and communications 6.2%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6% (1996)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
8.7% (1998 est.)
Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM 9, FM 45, shortwave 0
Radios
2.25 million (1993 est.)
Telephone system
most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations--3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Telephones
2.6 million (1996)
Television broadcast stations
24 (in addition, there are 31 low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions
1.5 million (1993 est.)
Transportation
Airports
54 (1998 est.) Airports--with paved runways: total: 31 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 7 (1998 est.) Airports--with unpaved runways: total: 23 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 18 (1998 est.)
Heliports
2 (1998 est.)
Highways
total: 15,464 km paved: 15,464 km (including 56 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1997 est.)
Merchant marine
total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 736,419 GRT/855,497 DWT ships by type: cargo 1, container 21, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1998 est.)
Pipelines
crude oil 708 km; petroleum products 290 km; natural gas 89 km Ports and harbors: Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo
Railways
total: 610 km standard gauge: 610 km 1.435-m gauge (1996)
Military and Security
Military branches
Israel Defense Forces (includes ground, naval, and air components), Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal), Frontier Guard, Chen (women); note--historically there have been no separate Israeli military services
Military expenditures--dollar figure
$8.7 billion (1999)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP
9.5% (1999)
Military manpower--availability
males age 15-49: 1,474,046 females age 15-49: 1,439,569 (1999 est.) Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,206,320 females age 15-49: 1,173,818 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--military age
18 years of age
Military manpower--reaching military age annually
males: 50,737 females: 48,546 (1999 est.)
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; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982
Illicit drugs
increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs primarily arrive in country from Lebanon