1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Coastline
none--landlocked
Comparative area
slightly larger than Delaware
Disputes
Israeli occupied with status to be determined
Environment
highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers
Land boundaries
404 km total; Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km;
Land use
27% arable land, 0% permanent crops, 32% meadows and pastures, 1% forest and woodland, 40% other
Maritime claims
none--landlocked
Natural resources
negligible
Note
landlocked; there are 173 Jewish settlements in the West Bank and 14 Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem
Terrain
mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east
Total area
5,860 km2; land area: 5,640 km2; includes West Bank, East Jerusalem, Latrun Salient, Jerusalem No Man's Land, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus
People and Society
Birth rate
37 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
88% Palestinian Arab and other, 12% Jewish
Infant mortality rate
48 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
NA; excluding Israeli Jewish settlers--29.8% small industry, commerce, and business, 24.2% construction, 22.4% agriculture, 23.6% service and other (1984)
Language
Arabic, Israeli settlers speak Hebrew, English widely understood
Life expectancy at birth
65 years male, 68 years female (1990)
Literacy
NA%
Nationality
NA
Net migration rate
- 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
NA
Population
1,058,122 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990); in addition, there are 70,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 110,000 in East Jerusalem (1989 est.)
Religion
80% Muslim (predominantly Sunni), 12% Jewish, 8% Christian and other
Total fertility rate
5.0 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Long-form name
none
Note
The West Bank is currently governed by Israeli military authorities and Israeli civil administration. It is US policy that the final status of the West Bank will be determined by negotiations among the concerned parties. These negotiations will determine how the area is to be governed.
Economy
Agriculture
olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, and dairy products
Aid
none
Budget
revenues $47.4 million; expenditures $45.7 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY86)
Currency
new Israeli shekel (plural--shekels) and Jordanian dinar (plural--dinars); 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot and 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
Electricity
power supplied by Israel
Exchange rates
new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--1.9450 (January 1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5992 (1988), 1.5946 (1987), 1.4878 (1986), 1.1788 (1985); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1--0.6557 (January 1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3715 (1988), 0.3387 (1987), 0.3499 (1986), 0.3940 (1985)
Exports
$150 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--NA; partners--Jordan, Israel
External debt
$NA
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GNP
$1.0 billion, per capita $1,000; real growth rate - 15% (1988 est.)
Imports
$410 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities--NA; partners--Jordan, Israel
Industrial production
growth rate NA%
Industries
generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
NA%
Overview
Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by Israeli military occupation and the effects of the Palestinian uprising. Industries using advanced technology or requiring sizable financial resources have been discouraged by a lack of financial resources and Israeli policy. Capital investment has largely gone into residential housing, not into productive assets that could compete with Israeli industry. A major share of GNP is derived from remittances of workers employed in Israel and neighboring Gulf states. Israeli reprisals against Palestinian unrest in the West Bank since 1987 have pushed unemployment up and lowered living standards.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Highways
small indigenous road network, Israelis developing east-west axial highways
Telecommunications
open-wire telephone system currently being upgraded; stations--no AM, no FM, no TV
Military and Security
Branches
NA
Defense expenditures
NA
Military manpower
NA