Background: The September 1993 Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements provided for a transitional period of Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under a series of agreements signed between May 1994 and September 1999 Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza stalled following the outbreak of an intifada in September 2000 as Israeli forces reoccupied most Palestinian-controlled areas. 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 was postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides had 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 unilaterally withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and withdrew settlers and redeployed soldiers from four small 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 refused to accept the HAMAS-led government because it did not recognize Israel would not renounce violence and refused to honor previous peace agreements between Israel and the PA. HAMAS took control of the PA government in March 2006 but President ABBAS had little success negotiating with HAMAS to present a political platform acceptable to the international community so as to lift economic sanctions on Palestinians. The PLC was unable to convene throughout most of 2006 as a result of Israel's detention of many HAMAS PLC members and Israeli-imposed travel restrictions on other PLC members. Violent clashes took place between Fatah and HAMAS supporters in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and early 2007 resulting in numerous Palestinian deaths and injuries. ABBAS and HAMAS Political Bureau Chief MISHAL in February 2007 signed the Mecca Agreement in Saudi Arabia that resulted in the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government (NUG) headed by HAMAS member Ismail HANIYA. However fighting continued in the Gaza Strip and in June HAMAS militants succeeded in a violent takeover of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip. ABBAS dismissed the NUG and through a series of Presidential decrees formed a PA government in the West Bank led by independent Salam FAYYAD. HAMAS rejected the NUG's dismissal and has called for resuming talks with Fatah but ABBAS has ruled out negotiations until HAMAS agrees to a return of PA control over the Gaza Strip and recognizes the FAYYAD-led government. FAYYAD and his PA government initiated a series of security and economic reforms to improve conditions in the West Bank. ABBAS participated in talks with Israel's Prime Minister OLMERT and secured the release of some Palestinian prisoners and previously withheld customs revenue. During a November 2007 international meeting in Annapolis Maryland ABBAS and OLMERT agreed to resume peace negotiations with the goal of

Geographic coordinates: 31 25 N 34 20 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 360 km²
Rank: 205
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: arable land: natural gas

Land use
Arable land: 29%
Permanent crops: 21%
Other: 50% (2002)

Irrigated land: 155 km²; (note - includes West Bank) (2003)

Natural hazards: droughts

Geography
Note: strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes has experienced an incredibly turbulent history; the town of Gaza itself has been besieged countless times in its history

Population: 1,551,859 (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 149
Growth rate: 3.349% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 5
Below poverty line: 80% (2007 est.)

Nationality
Noun: NA
Adjective: NA

Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab

Languages: Arabic Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians) English (widely understood)

Religions: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 99.3% Christian 0.7%

Age structure
0-14 years: 44.4%
15-64 years: 53% (male 420,618/female 402,297)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 16,483/female 24,202) (2009 est.)

Median age
Total: 17.4 years
Male: 17.2 years
Female: 17.5 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.349% (2009 est.)
Rank: 5

Birth rate: 36.93 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 28

Death rate: 3.44 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 215

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 78

Urbanization
Urban population: 72% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 3.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Environment
Current issues: desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation; depletion and contamination of underground water resources

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 18.35 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 114
Male: 19.53 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 17.09 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.42 years
Rank: 107
Male: 71.82 years
Female: 75.12 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.03 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 30

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 92.4%
Male: 96.7%
Female: 88% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 14 years (2006)

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

Economy overview: High population density limited land access and strict internal and external security controls have kept economic conditions in the Gaza Strip - the smaller of the two areas under the Palestinian Authority (PA) - even more degraded than in the West Bank. The beginning of the second intifada in September 2000 sparked an economic downturn largely the result of Israeli closure policies; these policies which were imposed to address security concerns in Israel disrupted labor and trade access to and from the Gaza Strip. In 2001 and even more severely in 2003 Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of capital the disruption of administrative structures and widespread business closures. The Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in September 2005 offered some medium-term opportunities for economic growth but Israeli-imposed crossings closures which became more restrictive after HAMAS violently took over the territory in June 2007 have resulted in widespread private sector layoffs and shortages of most goods. The status of the crossings which are closed to all but the most basic goods has not changed following Israel's military offensive into the Gaza Strip in early 2009.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 141
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 184

Real gdp per capita: $1100 (2006 est.)
Rank: 164
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 8%
Industry: 13%
Services: 79% (includes West Bank) (2007 est.)

Agriculture products: olives citrus fruit vegetables flowers beef dairy products

Industries: textiles food processing

Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (includes West Bank) (2005)
Rank: 95

Labor force: 267,000 (2006)
Rank: 161
By occupation agriculture: 12%
By occupation industry: 5%
By occupation services: 83% (June 2008)

Unemployment rate: 34.8% (2006)
Rank: 189

Population below poverty line: 80% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $1.149 billion
Expenditures: $2.31 billion
Note: includes West Bank (2006)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.6% (2006)
Rank: 165
Note: includes West Bank

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 7.73% (31 December 2006)
Rank: 110

Stock of domestic credit: $368.2 million (31 December 2007)
Rank: 100

Exports: $339 million (2006)
Rank: 171
Commodities: citrus flowers textiles

Imports: $2.44 billion (2005)
Rank: 142
Commodities: food consumer goods construction materials

Debt external: $1.3 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 148

Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.56 (2008 est.) 4.14 (2007) 4.4565 (2006) 4.4877 (2005) 4.482 (2004)

Electricity
Production: 140,000 kWh (2005)
Production rank: 212
Consumption: 230,000 kWh (2005)
Consumption rank: 213
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 90,000 kWh; note - from Israeli Electric Company (2005)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 348,000 (includes West Bank) (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 110
Mobile cellular: 1.153 million (includes West Bank) (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 139

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
Domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services
International: country code - 970 (2004)

Internet
Country code: .ps; note - same as West Bank
Users: 356,000 (includes West Bank) (2008)
Users rank: 117

Military expenditures: NA

Airports: 1 (2009)
Rank: 230
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2009)

Heliports: 1 (2009)

Roadways
Note: see entry for West Bank

Ports and terminals: Gaza

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 removed settlers and military personnel from the Gaza Strip in August 2005

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 1.017 million (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2007)