2003 Edition

Administrative divisions

6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

Age structure

0-14 years: 26.9% (male 842,885; female 803,864) 15-64 years: 63.2% (male 1,941,440; female 1,922,512) 65 years and over: 9.9% (male 260,315; female 345,517) (2003 est.)

Area

land

20,330 sq km

total

20,770 sq km

water

440 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Background

Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted. 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. In addition, on 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives (from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip) and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. But progress toward a permanent status agreement has been undermined by the outbreak of Palestinian-Israeli violence since September 2000. Geography Israel

Birth rate

18.67 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

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

Climate

temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

Coastline

273 km

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

Death rate

6.2 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Daniel C. KURTZER

embassy

71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv

mailing address

PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830

telephone

[972] (3) 519-7457/7369/7454/7458/7453

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Daniel AYALON

consulate(s) general

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco

Elevation extremes

highest point

Har Meron 1,208 m

lowest point

Dead Sea -408 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

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.)

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset

chief of state

President Moshe KATSAV (since 31 July 2000)

election results

Moshe KATSAV elected president by the 120-member Knesset with a total of 60 votes, other candidate, Shimon PERES, received 57 votes (there were three abstentions); Ariel SHARON continues as prime minister after Likud Party victory in January 2003 Knesset elections; Likud won 38 seats and then formed coalition government with Shinui, the National Religious Party, and the National Union

elections

president elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term; election last held 31 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2007); following legislative elections, the president assigns a Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the largest party - the task of forming a governing coalition; election last held 28 January 2003 (next to be held fall of 2007)

head of government

Prime Minister Ariel SHARON (since 7 March 2001)

FAX

[1] (202) 364-5607

[972] (3) 517-4390

chancery

3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

consulate(s) general

Jerusalem; note - an independent US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign

telephone

[1] (202) 364-5500

Geographic coordinates

31 30 N, 34 45 E

Geography - note

there are 242 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 25 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (February 2002 est.); Sea of Galilee is an important freshwater source People Israel

Government type

parliamentary democracy

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

100 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

2,400 (1999 est.)

Independence

14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)

Infant mortality rate

female

6.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)

male

8.14 deaths/1,000 live births

total

7.37 deaths/1,000 live births

International organization participation

BSEC (observer), CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Irrigated land

1,990 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (justices appointed for life by the president)

Land boundaries

border countries

Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km

total

1,017 km

Land use

arable land

17.02%

other

78.81% (1998 est.)

permanent crops

4.17%

Languages

Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language

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)

election results

percent of vote by party - Likud Party 29.4%, Labor 14.5%, Shinui 12.3%, Shas 8.2%, National Union 5.5%, Meretz 5.2%, United Torah Judaism 4.3%, National Religious Party 4.2%, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality 3.0%, One Nation 2.8%, National Democratic Alliance 2.3%, YBA 2.2%, United Arab List 2.1%, Green Leaf Party 1.2%, Herut 1.2%, other 1.6%; seats by party - Likud 38, Labor 19, Shinui 15, Shas 11, National Union 7, Meretz 6, National Religious Party 6, United Torah Judaism 5, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality 3, One Nation 3, National Democratic Alliance 3, YBA 2, United Arab List 2

elections

last held 28 January 2003 (next to be held fall of 2007)

Life expectancy at birth

female

81.19 years (2003 est.)

male

76.95 years

total population

79.02 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

93.6% (2003 est.) Government Israel

male

97.3%

total population

95.4%

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

Median age

female

29.8 years (2002)

male

28.1 years

total

28.9 years

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

Nationality

adjective

Israeli

noun

Israeli(s)

Natural hazards

sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes

Natural resources

timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand

Net migration rate

1.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Political parties and leaders

Center Party [Dan MERIDOR]; Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) [Muhammad BARAKA]; Democratic Movement [Roman BRONFMAN]; Gesher [David LEVI]; Green Leaf Party [Boaz WACHTEL and Shlomi SANDAK]; Herut [Michael KLEINER]; Labor Party [Binyamin BEN-ELIEZER]; Likud Party [Ariel SHARON]; Meimad [Rabbi Michael MELCHIOR]; Meretz [Yossi SARID]; National Democratic Alliance (Balad) [Azmi BISHARA]; National Religious Party [Yitzhak LEVY]; National Union [Benyamin ELON] (includes Tekuma and Moledet); One Israel [Ra'anan COHEN]; One Nation [Amir PERETZ]; Shas [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Shinui [Tommy LAPID]; United Arab List [Abd al-Malik DAHAMSHAH]; United Torah Judaism [Meir PORUSH]; Yisra'el Ba'Aliya or YBA [Natan SHARANSKY]; Yisra'el Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Yesha (settler) Council promotes settler interests and opposes territorial compromise; B'Tselem monitors human rights abuses

Population

6,116,533 (July 2002 est.)

note

includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, more than 5,000 in the Gaza Strip, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (February 2003 est.) (July 2003 est.)

Population growth rate

1.39% (2003 est.)

Religions

Jewish 80.1%, Muslim 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian 2.1%, other 3.2% (1996 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

under 15 years

1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Terrain

Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley

Total fertility rate

2.5 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products

Airports

52 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 11

total

28

under 914 m

4 (2002) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

24 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m

20 (2002)

Budget

expenditures

$45.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)

revenues

$38.5 billion

Currency

new Israeli shekel (ILS); note - NIS is the currency abbreviation; ILS is the International Organization for Standarization (ISO) code for the NIS

Currency code

ILS

Debt - external

$42.8 billion (2001 est.)

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 (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

35.5 (2001)

Economic aid - recipient

$720 million from US (2001 est.)

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. Israel imports significant quantities of grain but is largely self-sufficient in other agricultural products. Cut diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are the 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 during the period 1989-99, 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; growth began moderating in 1996 when the government imposed tighter fiscal and monetary policies and the immigration bonus petered out. Growth was a strong 7.2% in 2000, but the bitter Israeli-Palestinian conflict, difficulties in the high-technology, construction, and tourist sectors, and fiscal austerity in the face of growing inflation led to small declines in GDP in 2001 and 2002.

Electricity - consumption

37.82 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

1.457 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

42.24 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

99.9%

hydro

0.1%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Exchange rates

new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.74 (2002), 4.21 (2001), 4.08 (2000), 4.14 (1999), 3.8 (1998)

Exports

$28.1 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel

Exports - partners

US 39.2%, Belgium 6.5%, Germany 4.4%, UK 4.2% (2002)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Israel

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 Economy Israel

GDP

purchasing power parity - $117.4 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

3%

industry

30%

services

67% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $19,500 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

-0.8% (2002 est.)

Heliports

3 (2002) Military Israel

Highways

paved

16,281 km (including 56 km of expressways)

total

16,281 km

unpaved

0 km (2000)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

28.3% (1997)

lowest 10%

2.4%

Illicit drugs

increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Imports

$30.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities

raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods

Imports - partners

US 21.6%, Belgium 8.9%, Germany 6.7%, UK 6.6%, Switzerland 4.9%, Italy 4.5% (2002)

Industrial production growth rate

-1.5% (2002 est.)

Industries

high-technology projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, diamond cutting

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5.7% (2002 est.)

Internet country code

.il

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

21 (2000)

Internet users

1.94 million (2001) Transportation Israel

Labor force

2.5 million (2002 est.)

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)

Merchant marine

ships by type

container 17, roll on/roll off 1 (2002 est.)

total

18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 705,897 GRT/823,605 DWT

Military branches

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (includes ground, naval, and air components with Air Defense Forces), Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal); note - historically there have been no separate Israeli military services

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$8.97 billion (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

8.75% (FY02) Transnational Issues Israel

Military manpower - availability

females age 15-49

1,516,505

males age 15-49

1,562,716

note

both sexes are liable for military service (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

females age 15-49

1,237,926 (2003 est.)

males age 15-49

1,279,277

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

females

53,496 (2003 est.)

males

51,080

Natural gas - consumption

10 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

10 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

20.81 billion cu m (37257)

Oil - consumption

260,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

80 bbl/day NA bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

1.92 million bbl (37257)

Pipelines

gas 100 km; oil 1,509 km (2003)

Population below poverty line

18% (2001 est.)

Ports and harbors

Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo

Radio broadcast stations

AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios

3.07 million (1997)

Railways

standard gauge

640 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)

total

640 km

Telephone system

domestic

good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay; all systems are digital

general assessment

most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest

international

3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

2.8 million (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2.5 million (1999)

Television broadcast stations

17 (plus 36 low-power repeaters) (1995)

Televisions

1.69 million (1997)

Unemployment rate

10.4% (2002 est.)

Waterways

none