Background: Inhabited since at least the 15th century B.C. Gaza has been dominated by many different peoples and empires throughout its history; it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. Gaza fell to British forces during World War I becoming a part of the British Mandate of Palestine. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War Egypt administered the newly formed Gaza Strip; it was captured by Israel in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under a series of agreements signed between 1994 and 1999 Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for many Palestinian-populated areas of the Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip stalled after the outbreak of an intifada in mid- 2000. In early 2003 the 'Quartet' of the US EU UN and Russia presented a roadmap to a final peace settlement by 2005 calling for two states - Israel and a democratic Palestine. Following Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004 and the subsequent election of Mahmud ABBAS (head of the Fatah political party) as the PA president Israel and the PA agreed to move the peace process forward. Israel in late 2005 unilaterally withdrew all of its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip but continues to control maritime airspace and other access. In early 2006 the Islamic Resistance Movement HAMAS won the Palestinian Legislative Council election and took control of the PA government. Attempts to form a unity government between Fatah and HAMAS failed and violent clashes between Fatah and HAMAS supporters ensued culminating in HAMAS's violent seizure of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. Fatah and HAMAS in early 2011 agreed to reunify the Gaza Strip and West Bank but the factions have struggled to implement details on governance and security. Brief periods of increased violence between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip in 2007-08 and again in 2012 both led to Egyptian-brokered truces. The status quo remains with HAMAS in control of the Gaza Strip and the PA governing the West Bank.

Geographic coordinates: 31 25 N 34 20 E

Area
Rank: 206
Land: 360 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries
Border countries: (2) Egypt 13 km; Israel 59 km

Coastline: 40 km

Maritime claims: see entry for Israel

Climate: temperate mild winters dry and warm to hot summers

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

Elevation
Extremes highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Awdah) 105 m

Natural resources: arable land: natural gas

Land use
Permanent crops: 10.96%
Other: 81.64% (2011)

Irrigated land: 240 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: 1,816,379 (July 2014 est.)
Rank: 152
Growth rate: 2.91% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 13
Below poverty line: 38% (2010 est.)

Nationality
Adjective: NA

Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab

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

Religions: Muslim 98.0 - 99.0% (predominantly Sunni) Christian 1.0% other unaffiliated unspecified 1.0%

Age structure
15-24 years: 20.6% (male 191,710/female 182,405)
25-54 years: 30.1% (male 280,551/female 266,756)
55-64 years: 3.5% (male 31,711/female 31,515)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 19,617/female 28,111) (2014 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 68.8 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.3 %
Potential support ratio: 19

Median age
Male: 18 years
Female: 18.4 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.91% (2014 est.)
Rank: 13

Birth rate: 32.2 births/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 35

Death rate: 3.09 deaths/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 220

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 108

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 3.1% 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
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 19

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 105
Male: 16.51 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 14.35 deaths/1000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 109
Male: 72.9 years
Female: 76.48 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.24 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Rank: 34

Drinking water source:

Sanitation facility access:

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

Literacy
Total population: 95.3%
Male: 97.9%
Female: 92.6%

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

Economy overview: Israeli security controls imposed since the end of the second intifada have degraded economic conditions in the Gaza Strip the smaller of the two areas comprising the Palestinian territories. Israeli-imposed border closures which became more restrictive after HAMAS seized control of the territory in June 2007 have resulted in high unemployment elevated poverty rates and a sharp contraction of the private sector that had relied primarily on export markets. Gazans increasingly turned to tunnels that ran under the Egyptian border to bring in fuel construction materials and consumer goods. In July 2013 Egyptian authorities began a serious crackdown on the tunnels causing shortages in Gaza. The population depends on government spending - by both the Palestinian Authority and HAMAS's de facto government - and humanitarian assistance. Changes to Israeli restrictions on imports in 2010 resulted in a rebound in some economic activity but regular exports from Gaza still are not permitted. Standard-of-living measures remain below levels seen in the mid-1990s.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: see entry for West Bank

Real gdp growth rate: see entry for West Bank

Real gdp per capita: see entry for West Bank

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 29.5%
Investment in fixed capital: 18%
Investment in inventories: 0%
Exports of goods and services: 14.9%
Imports of goods and services: -62%: (2013 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Of origin: see entry for West Bank

Agriculture products: olives fruit vegetables flowers; beef dairy products

Industries: textiles food processing furniture

Labor force: 348,200 (2010 est.)
Rank: 161
By occupation industry: 15.6%
By occupation services: 79.3% (2010 est.)

Unemployment rate: 23% (2012 est.)
Rank: 170

Population below poverty line: 38% (2010 est.)

Budget: see entry for West Bank

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.8% (2012 est.)
Rank: 53

Commercial bank prime lending rate: see entry for West Bank

Stock of broad money: $1.814 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 148

Stock of domestic credit: $1.042 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
Rank: 148

Current account balance: (2011 est.)

Exports
Note: (2011 est.)
Commodities: strawberries carnations vegetables (small and irregular shipments as permitted to transit the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing)

Imports: see entry for West Bank
Commodities: food consumer goods

Debt external: see entry for West Bank

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 51,000 kWh (2011 est.)
Production rank: 219
Consumption: 202,000 kWh (2009)
Consumption rank: 218
Exports: 0 kWh (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 147
Imports: 193,000 kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 109

Petroleum
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 142

Telephones
Main lines in use: 406,000 (includes West Bank) (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 105
Mobile cellular: 3.041 million (includes West Bank) (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 131

Telephone system
Domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed-line services; the Palestinian JAWWAL company provides cellular services
International: country code - 970 (2009)

Broadcast media: 1 TV station and about 10 radio stations (2008)

Internet
Country code: .ps; note - same as West Bank
Users: 1.379 million (includes West Bank) (2009)
Users rank: 87

Airports: 1 (2013)
Rank: 218
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Disputes international: the status of the Gaza Strip is a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations; Israel removed settlers and military personnel from Gaza Strip in August 2005

Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: at least 146,000 (persons displaced within both the Gaza strip and the West Bank some fled as long ago as 1967 but confirmed cumulative figures do not go back beyond 2006) (2013)