Map of West Bank | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

Background


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries: 404 km total; Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km;

Coastline: none - landlocked

Maritime claims: none - landlocked

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

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

Elevation

Natural resources: negligible

Land use: 27% arable land, 0% permanent crops, 32% meadows and pastures, 1% forest and woodland, 40% other

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
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.


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Population: 1,014,856 (July 1989), growth rate 2.3% (1989; in addition, there are 65,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 104,000 (est.) in East Jerusalem

Nationality: NA

Ethnic groups: 88% Palestinian Arab and other, 12% Jewish

Languages: Arabic, Israeli settlers speak Hebrew, English widely understood

Religions: 80% Muslim (predominantly Sunni), 12% Jewish, 8% Christian and other

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 38 births/1000 population (1989)

Death rate: 7 deaths/1000 population (1989)

Net migration rate: - 8 migrants/1000 population (1989)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 49 deaths/1000 live births (1989)

Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 68 years female (1989)

Total fertility rate: 5.1 children born/woman (1989)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: none

Government type

Capital

Administrative divisions

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday

Constitution

Legal system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage

Executive branch

Legislative branch: NA

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation

Diplomatic representation

Flag description

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by Israeli military occupation. 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, and dairy products

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

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

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)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $47.4 million; expenditures $45.7 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY86)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $238.6 million (f.o.b., 1986)
Commodities: NA
Partners: Jordan, Israel

Imports: $512.0 million (c.i.f., 1986)
Commodities: NA partners - Jordan, Israel

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 1.8157 (January 1989), 1.5992 (1988), 1.5946 (1987), 1.4878 (1986), 1.1788 (1985; Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 - 0.4857 (January 1989), 0.3715 (1988), 0.3387 (1987), 0.3499 (1986), 0.3940 (1985)


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Electricity
Capacity: NA kWh capacity; power supplied by Israel (1988)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: NA

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Israeli occupied with status to be determined

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs