![[Country map of Gaza Strip]](596.jpg)
| Gaza Strip |
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| Introduction |
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, but have not resumed since the initial meeting. 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 took 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 Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, and the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum. 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.
| Geography |
Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel
Geographic coordinates: 31 25 N, 34 20 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total:
360 sq km
land:
360 sq km
water:
0 sq km
Area—comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total:
62 km
border countries:
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
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 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment—current issues: desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment
Environment—international agreements:
party to:
none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
Geography—note: there are 24 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Gaza Strip (August 1998 est.)
| People |
Population:
1,112,654 (July 1999 est.)
note:
in addition, there are some 6,000 Israeli settlers in the Gaza Strip
(August 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
52% (male 294,196; female 280,017)
15-64 years:
46% (male 255,209; female 251,317)
65 years and over:
2% (male 13,475; female 18,440) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.44% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 48.24 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 3.8 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.73 male(s)/female
total population:
1.02 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 22.92 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
73.44 years
male:
72.01 years
female:
74.95 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 7.46 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
NA
adjective:
NA
Ethnic groups: 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 and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Literacy: NA
| Government |
Country name:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Gaza Strip
local long form:
none
local short form:
Qita Ghazzah
Data code: GZ
| Economy |
Economy—overview: Economic conditions in the Gaza Strip—under the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority since the Cairo Agreement of May 1994—have deteriorated since the early 1990s. Real per capita GDP for the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) declined 36% between 1992 and 1996 owing to the combined effect of falling aggregate incomes and robust population growth. The downturn in economic activity was largely the result of Israeli closure policies—the imposition of generalized border closures in response to security incidents in Israel—which disrupted previously established labor and commodity market relationships between Israel and the WBGS. The most serious negative social effect of this downturn has been the emergence of chronic unemployment; average unemployment rates in the WBGS during the 1980s were generally under 5%, by the mid-1990s this level had risen to over 20%. Since 1997 Israel's use of comprehensive closures has decreased and, in 1998, Israel implemented new policies to reduce the impact of closures and other security procedures on the movement of Palestinian goods and labor. These positive changes to the conduct of economic activity, combined with international donor pledges of over $3 billion made to the Palestinian Authority in November, may fuel a moderate economic recovery in 1999.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$1.1 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 2.2% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$1,000 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture:
33%
industry:
25%
services:
42% (1995 est., includes West Bank)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%:
NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.8% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
NA
note:
excluding Israeli settlers
Labor force—by occupation: services 66%, industry 21%, agriculture 13% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 26.8% (1997 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$816 million
expenditures:
$866 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
note:
includes West Bank
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%
Electricity—production:
NA kWh
note:
electricity supplied by Israel
Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel:
NA%
hydro:
NA%
nuclear:
NA%
other:
NA%
Electricity—consumption: NA kWh
Electricity—exports: NA kWh
Electricity—imports: NA kWh
Agriculture—products: olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products
Exports: $781 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) (includes West Bank)
Exports—commodities: citrus
Exports—partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank
Imports: $2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.) (includes West Bank)
Imports—commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials
Imports—partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank
Debt—external: $108 million (1997 est.)
Economic aid—recipient: $NA
Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1—4.2260 (November 1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
| Communications |
Telephones: NA; 3.1% of Palestinian households have telephones
Telephone system:
domestic:
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: 2 (operated by the Palestinian Broadcasting Corp.) (1997)
Televisions: NA; note—59% of Palestinian households have televisions (1992 est.)
| Transportation |
Railways:
total:
NA km; note—one line, abandoned and in disrepair, little trackage remains
Highways:
total:
NA km
paved:
NA km
unpaved:
NA km
note:
small, poorly developed road network
Ports and harbors: Gaza
Airports:
2 (1998 est.)
note:
includes Gaza International Airport that opened on 24 November 1998 as part
of agreements stipulated in the 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum
Airports—with paved runways:
total:
1
over 3,047 m:
1 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways:
total:
1
under 914 m:
1 (1998 est.)
| Military |
Military branches: NA
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: NA%
| Transnational Issues |
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