Map of Gaza Strip | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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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. 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 has taken 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 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 which began on 5 May 1996.


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Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel

Geographic coordinates: 31 25 N, 34 20 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 360 km²
Land: 360 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries
Total: 62 km
Border countries: (2) Egypt 11 km; , Israel 51 km

Coastline: 40 km

Maritime claims: Israeli occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation

Climate: temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Terrain: flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use
Arable land: 24%
Permanent crops: 39%
Permanent pastures: 0%
Forests and woodland: 11%
Other: 26% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 120 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: there are 24 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Gaza Strip (August 1996 est.)


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Population: 987,869 (July 1997 est.)
Note: in addition, there are 5,000 Israeli settlers in the Gaza Strip (August 1996 est.)
Growth rate: 6.59% (1997 est.)

Nationality
Noun: NA
Adjective: NA

Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6%

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

Religions: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%, Christian 0.7%, Jewish 0.6%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 51% (male 261,014; female 248,236)
15-64 years: 46% (male 225,707; female 224,483)
65 years and over: 3% (male 12,281; female 16,148) (July 1997 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 6.59% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 49.85 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 4.2 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 20.25 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: desertification; salination of fresh water

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 26 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.46 years
Male: 71.12 years
Female: 73.87 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 7.68 children born/woman (1997 est.)

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
Conventional short form: Gaza Strip
Local long form: none
Local short form: Qita Ghazzah

Government type

Capital

Administrative divisions

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday

Constitution

Legal system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage

Executive branch

Legislative branch

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 Gaza Strip has been hampered by tight Israeli security restrictions. In 1991 roughly 40% of Gaza Strip workers were employed across the border by Israeli industrial, construction, and agricultural enterprises, with worker remittances supplementing GDP by roughly 50%. Gaza has depended upon Israel for nearly 90% of its external trade. The Persian Gulf crisis and its aftershocks has dealt blows to Gaza since August 1990. Worker remittances from the Gulf states have dropped, unemployment and popular unrest have increased, and living standards have fallen. The withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip in May 1994 has added to the set of adjustment problems. This series of disruptions has meant a sharp decline in employment in Israel since 1991 and a drop in GDP as a whole. An estimated 378,000 persons were in refugee camps in 1996.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -1% to -2% (1996 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,100 (1996 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 33%
Industry: 25%
Services: 42% (1995 est., includes West Bank)

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

Industries: generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: NA
By occupation construction: 33.4%
By occupation agriculture: 20.0%
By occupation commerce restaurants and hotels: 14.9%
By occupation industry: 10.0%
By occupation other services: 21.7% (1991)
Note: excluding Israeli settlers

Unemployment rate: 35% to 40% (1996 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $684 million
Expenditures: $779 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1996)
Note: includes West Bank

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)

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
Total value: $235 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.) (includes West Bank)
Commodities: citrus
Partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank

Imports
Total value: $1.55 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.) (includes West Bank)
Commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials
Partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank

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 - 3.41 (May 1997), 3.2882 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994), 2.8301 (1993), 2.4591 (1992)


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Electricity
Capacity: NA kW
Capacity note: electricity supplied by Israel
Production: NA kWh
Production note: electricity supplied by Israel
Consumption per capita: NA kWh

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones: NA
Note: 3.1% of Palestinian households have telephones

Telephone system
Domestic: NA
International: NA

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $NA
Percent of gdp: 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: 1 (1996 est.)
Note: new international airport under construction and scheduled to open in June 1997
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: total:NA km; note - one line, abandoned and in disrepair, little trackage remains

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs