2007 Edition

Age structure

0-14 years: 42.9% (male 541,110/female 515,202) 15-64 years: 53.7% (male 676,427/female 644,347) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 35,440/female 47,966) (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Airports

3 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

total

3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

under 914 m

1 (2006)

Area

land

5,640 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

total

5,860 sq km

water

220 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Delaware

Background

The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington in September 1993, provided for a transitional period of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. A transfer of authority to the Palestinian Authority (PA) 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, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and the West Bank began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, but were derailed by a second intifadah that broke out a year later. In April 2003, the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement has been postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides have not followed through on their commitments. Following Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004, Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA president in January 2005. A month later, Israel and the PA agreed to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments in an effort to move the peace process forward. In September 2005, Israel withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and four northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. A November 2005 PA-Israeli agreement authorized the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt under joint PA and Egyptian control. In January 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The international community has refused to accept the HAMAS-led government because it does not recognize Israel, will not renounce violence, and refuses to honor previous peace agreements between Israel and the PA. Since March 2006, President Abbas has had little success negotiating with HAMAS to present a political platform acceptable to the international community so as to lift the economic siege on Palestinians. The PLC was unable to convene in late 2006 as a result of Israel's detention of many HAMAS PLC members and Israeli-imposed travel restrictions on other PLC members. Geography West Bank

Birth rate

31.67 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$1.64 billion; including capital expenditures of $44 million ; note - these budget data include Gaza Strip (2005)

revenues

$1.23 billion

Climate

temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

West Bank Economy West Bank

Currency (code)

new Israeli shekel (ILS); Jordanian dinar (JOD)

Currency code

ILS; JOD

Death rate

3.92 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Debt - external

NA

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; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region

Economic aid - recipient

$1.14 billion; note - includes Gaza Strip (2004)

Economy - overview

The West Bank - the larger of the two areas under the Palestinian Authority (PA) - has experienced a general decline in economic conditions since the second intifadah began in September 2000. The downturn has been largely the result of Israeli closure policies - the imposition of border closures in response to security incidents in Israel - which disrupted labor and trading relationships. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of capital, the disruption of administrative structures, and widespread business closures. International aid of at least $1.14 billion to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy and allowed some reforms in the government's financial operations. In 2005, high unemployment and limited trade opportunities - due to continued closures both within the West Bank and externally - stymied growth. Israel's and the international community's financial embargo of the PA since HAMAS took office in March 2006 has interrupted the provision of PA social services and the payment of PA salaries.

Electricity - consumption

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; some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

100%

hydro

0%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Tall Asur 1,022 m

lowest point

Dead Sea -408 m

Environment - current issues

adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment

Ethnic groups

Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%

Exchange rates

new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002)

Exports

$313 million f.o.b.; note - includes Gaza Strip (2004)

Exports - commodities

olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone

Exports - partners

Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2004)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications West Bank

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

8%

industry

18.2%

note

includes Gaza Strip (2005 est.)

services

73.9%

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,500 (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4.9% (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$3.45 billion (2003)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$5.327 billion (2005 est.)

Geographic coordinates

32 00 N, 35 15 E

Geography - note

landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 242 West Bank settlements and 29 East Jerusalem settlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts (August 2005 est.) People West Bank

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

Imports

$2.37 billion c.i.f.; note - includes Gaza Strip (2004)

Imports - commodities

food, consumer goods, construction materials

Imports - partners

Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2004)

Industrial production growth rate

2.4%

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

Infant mortality rate

female

17.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

21.12 deaths/1,000 live births

total

19.15 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.9% (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)

Internet country code

.ps

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

8 (1999)

Internet users

243,000 (includes Gaza Strip) (2005) Transportation West Bank

Irrigated land

150 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003)

Labor force

568,000 (2005)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

16%

industry

29%

services

55% (2005)

Land boundaries

border countries

Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km

total

404 km

Land use

arable land

16.9%

other

64.13% (2001)

permanent crops

18.97%

Languages

Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Life expectancy at birth

female

75.15 years (2006 est.)

male

71.5 years

total population

73.27 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

87.4% (2003 est.) Government West Bank

male

96.3%

total population

91.9%

Location

Middle East, west of Jordan

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Median age

female

18.5 years (2006 est.)

male

18.2 years

total

18.3 years

Military expenditures - dollar figure

NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA Transnational Issues West Bank

Nationality

adjective

NA

noun

NA

Natural hazards

droughts

Natural resources

arable land

Net migration rate

2.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Population

2,460,492

note

in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2004 est.)

Population below poverty line

45.7% including Gaza Strip (2005)

Population growth rate

3.06% (2006 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 20, shortwave 0 (2005)

Radios

NA; note - most Palestinian households have radios (1999)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin)

705,207 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2006) This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

Religions

Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8%

Roadways

note

includes Gaza Strip (2004) Military West Bank

paved

4,996 km

total

4,996 km

Sex ratio

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

under 15 years

1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female

Telephone system

domestic

Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services in the Gaza Strip; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services

general assessment

NA

international

country code - 970

Telephones - main lines in use

357,300 (includes Gaza Strip) (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1.095 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)

Television broadcast stations

8 (2005)

Televisions

NA; note - many Palestinian households have televisions (1999)

Terrain

mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east

Total fertility rate

4.28 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate

20.3% (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)