1999 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1999 (Internet Archive)
Introduction
Background
The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements ("the DOP"), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provides for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Permanent status negotiations began on 5 May 1996, but have not resumed since the initial meeting. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which includes a Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January 1996, as part of interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, and the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external security and for internal security and public order of settlements and Israelis. Permanent status is to be determined through direct negotiations.
Geography
Area
total: 5,860 sq km land: 5,640 sq km water: 220 sq km note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
Area--comparative
slightly smaller than Delaware
Climate
temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
Environment--current issues
adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment
Environment--international agreements
party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geographic coordinates
32 00 N, 35 15 E
Geography--note
landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 216 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 1998 est.)
Irrigated land
NA sq km
Land boundaries
total: 404 km border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
Land use
arable land: 27% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 32% forests and woodland: 1% other: 40%
Location
Middle East, west of Jordan
Map references
Middle East
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
NA
Natural resources
NEGL
Terrain
mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 45% (male 370,770; female 352,803) 15-64 years: 52% (male 422,209; female 411,597) 65 years and over: 3% (male 22,376; female 31,354) (1999 est.)
Birth rate
35.59 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate
4.2 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Ethnic groups
Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%
Infant mortality rate
25.22 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Languages
Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 72.83 years male: 70.96 years female: 74.79 years (1999 est.)
Literacy
NA
Nationality
noun: NA adjective: NA
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Population
1,611,109 (July 1999 est.) note: in addition, there are some 166,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and about 176,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1998 est.)
Population growth rate
3.14% (1999 est.)
Religions
Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8%
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate
4.78 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Government
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: West Bank
Data code
WE
Economy
Agriculture--products
olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products
Budget
revenues: $816 million expenditures: $866 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.) note: includes Gaza Strip
Currency
1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot; 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
Debt--external
$108 million (1997 est.)
Economic aid--recipient
$NA
Economy--overview
Economic conditions in the West Bank?where economic activity is governed by the Paris Economic Protocol of April 1994 between Israel and the Palestinian Authority--have deteriorated since the early 1990s. Real per capita GDP for the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) declined 36.1% between 1992 and 1996 owing to the combined effect of falling aggregate incomes and robust population growth. The downturn in economic activity was largely the result of Israeli closure policies--the imposition of generalized border closures in response to security incidents in Israel--which disrupted previously established labor and commodity market relationships between Israel and the WBGS. The most serious negative social effect of this downturn has been the emergence of chronic unemployment; average unemployment rates in the WBGS during the 1980s were generally under 5%, by the mid-1990s this level had risen to over 20%. Since 1997 Israel's use of comprehensive closures has decreased and, in 1998, Israel implemented new policies to reduce the impact of closures and other security procedures on the movement of Palestinian goods and labor. These positive changes to the conduct of economic activity, combined with international donor pledges of over $3 billion made to the Palestinian Authority in November, may fuel a moderate economic recovery in 1999.
Electricity--consumption
NA kWh
Electricity--exports
NA kWh
Electricity--imports
NA kWh
Electricity--production
NA kWh note: most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; at the same time, some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nabulus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants
Electricity--production by source
fossil fuel: NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA%
Exchange rates
new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--4.2260 (November 1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1--0.7090 (January 1999), 0.7090 (1998), 0.7090 (1997), 0.7090 (1996), 0.7005 (1995), 0.6987 (1994)
Exports
$781 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) (includes Gaza Strip)
Exports--commodities
olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone
Exports--partners
Israel, Jordan
Fiscal year
calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
GDP
purchasing power parity--$3.1 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector
agriculture: 33% industry: 25% services: 42% (1995 est., includes Gaza Strip)
GDP--per capita
purchasing power parity?$2,000 (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate
2.2% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.) (includes Gaza Strip)
Imports--commodities
food, consumer goods, construction materials
Imports--partners
Israel, Jordan
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)
7.6% (1997 est.)
Labor force
NA note: excluding Israeli settlers
Labor force--by occupation
agriculture 13%, industry 13%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 12%, construction 8%, other services 54% (1996)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
17.3% (1997 est.)
Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios
NA; note--82% of Palestinian households have radios (1992 est.)
Telephone system
domestic: NA international: NA note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for communication services in the West Bank
Telephones
NA; 3.1% of Palestinian households have telephones
Television broadcast stations
NA
Televisions
NA; note--54% of Palestinian households have televisions (1992 est.)
Transportation
Airports
2 (1998 est.) Airports--with paved runways: total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Highways
total: 4,500 km paved: 2,700 km unpaved: 1,800 km (1997 est.) note: Israelis have developed many highways to service Jewish settlements Ports and harbors: none
Railways
0 km
Military and Security
Military branches
NA
Military expenditures--dollar figure
$NA
Military expenditures--percent of GDP
NA%
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