Gaza Strip

Note: 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.

 
Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

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

Area

Total area: 360 sq km
Land area: 360 sq km
Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land Boundaries

Total 62 km, Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km

Coastline

40 km

Maritime Claims

Israeli occupied with interim status subject to Israeli/Palestinian negotiations - final status to be determined

International Disputes

West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli occupied with interim status subject to Israeli/Palestinian negotiations - final status to be determined

Climate

Temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Terrain

Flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m

Natural Resources

Negligible

Land Use

Arable land: 13%
Permanent crops: 32%
Meadows and pastures: 0%
Forest and woodland: 0%
Other: 55%

Irrigated Land

115 sq km (1992 est.)

Environment

Current issues: desertification
Natural hazards: NA
International agreements: NA

Note: There are 24 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the Gaza Strip (August 1994 est.)

PEOPLE

Population

923,940 (July 1996 est.)
813,322 (July 1995 est.)

Note: in addition, there are 5,000 Israeli settlers in the Gaza Strip (August 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

52% (male 244,026; female 231,976) (July 1996 est.)
52% (male 215,158; female 205,192) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

46% (male 210,706; female 210,764) (July 1996 est.)
45% (male 183,886; female 185,748) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

2% (male 11,553; female 14,915) (July 1996 est.)
3% (male 10,232; female 13,106) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

6.79% (1996 est.)
4.55% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

50.67 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
50.24 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

4.4 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
4.75 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

21.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

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: 0.78 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.02 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

27.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
30.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 71.98 years (1996 est.), 71.09 years (1995 est.)
Male: 70.69 years (1996 est.), 69.56 years (1995 est.)
Female: 73.34 years (1996 est.), 72.69 years (1995 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

7.79 children born/woman (1996 est.)
7.74 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Noun: NA
Adjective: NA

Ethnic Divisions

Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%
Jewish 0.6%

Religions

Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%
Christian 0.7%
Jewish 0.6%

Languages

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

Literacy

Labor Force

By occupation:

Construction 33.4%
Agriculture 20.0%
Commerce, restaurants, and hotels 14.9%
Industry 10.0%
Other services 21.7% (1991)

Note: Excluding Jewish settlers

GOVERNMENT

Note: Under the Israeli-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements ("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 within five years.

Names

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

Digraph

National Holiday

1 january (1965; Founding of the PLO)

Flag

The PLO flag. Three equal horizontal bands of black (top), white and green. On the host side there is a red triangle.

ECONOMY

Overview

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. Aggravating the impact of Israeli military administration, unrest in the territory from 1988 to 1993 (intifadah) raised unemployment and lowered the standard of living of Gazans. The Persian Gulf crisis and its aftershocks also dealt blows to Gaza since August 1990. Worker remittances from the Gulf states have dropped, unemployment has increased, and exports have fallen. The withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip in May 1994 has brought a new set of adjustment problems. The stringent border restrictions have held back economic growth in 1995 and 1996.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1995 est.), $1.7 billion (1993 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

3%-4% (1995 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$1,200 (1995 est.)
$2,400 (1993 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

14% (1995 est.)
5.7% (1993)

Unemployment Rate

30%-45% (1995 est.)
45% (1994 est.)

Budget

Revenues: $33.6 million
Expenditures: $34.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY89/90)

Exports

$49 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
$83 million (f.o.b., 1992)

Commodities:

Citrus

Partners:

Israel
Egypt

Imports

$339 million (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
$365 million (c.i.f., 1992)

Commodities:

Food
Consumer goods
Construction materials

Partners:

Israel
Egypt

External Debt

Industrial Production

Growth rate 11% (1991 est.)

Electricity

Power supplied by Israel

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

Agriculture

Olives, citrus and other fruits; vegetables; beef and dairy products

Economic Aid

$410 million (est.) disbursed from international aid pledges in 1995 (includes aid to West Bank), $240 million in 1994

Currency

1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot

Exchange Rates

New Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 3.1295 (January 1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994), 2.8301 (1993), 2.4591 (1992), 2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year (since 1 January 1992)

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

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

Highways

Total: NA
Paved: NA
Unpaved: NA

Note: Small, poorly developed road network

Ports

Gaza

Airports

Total: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

NA; note - 10% of Palestinian households have telephones (1992 est.)

Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: NA

Radio

Broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: NA; note - 95% of Palestinian households have radios (1992 est.)

Television

Broadcast stations: 0
Televisions: NA; note - 59% of Palestinian households have televisions (1992 est.)

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Defense Expenditures

History
World Atlas

last updated: 20 november 1997

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