Gaza Strip

Airports

total: 1 usable: 1 with permanent-surface runways: 0 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 0 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 0

Highways

total: NA paved: NA unpaved: NA note: small, poorly developed road network

Ports

facilities for small boats to service the city of Gaza

Railroads

one line, abandoned and in disrepair, some trackage remains

Telecommunications

broadcast stations - no AM, no FM, no TV

Branches

NA

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

Note

Georgia is currently besieged by interethnic strife in its Abkhazian and South Ossetian enclaves.

Agriculture

accounts for about 16% of GNP; olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, dairy products

Budget

revenues: $33.6 million expenditures: $34.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90)

Currency

1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot

Economic aid

$NA

Electricity

power supplied by Israel

Exchange rates

new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.9760 (February 1994), 2.8301 (1993), 2.4591 (1992), 2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989)

Exports

$75 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: citrus partners: Israel, Egypt

External debt

$NA

Fiscal year

calendar year (since 1 January 1992)

Imports

$370 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.) commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials partners: Israel, Egypt

Industrial production

growth rate 11% (1991 est.); accounts for about 12% of GNP

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

7% (1991 est.)

National product

GNP - exchange rate conversion - $840 million (1991 est.)

National product per capita

$1,275 (1991 est.)

National product real growth rate

1% (1991 est.)

Overview

In 1991 roughly 40% of Gaza Strip workers were employed across the border by Israeli industrial, construction, and agricultural enterprises, with worker remittances accounting for about one-third of GNP. The construction, agricultural, and industrial sectors account for about 18%, 16%, and 12% of GNP, respectively. Gaza depends upon Israel for nearly 90% of its external trade. Aggravating the impact of Israeli military administration, unrest in the territory since 1988 (intifadah) has raised unemployment and lowered the standard of living of Gazans. The Persian Gulf crisis and its aftershocks also have 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 brings a new set of adjustment problems.

Unemployment rate

20% (1991 est.)

Area

total area: 360 sq km land area: 360 sq km comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Climate

temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Coastline

40 km

Environment

current issues: desertification natural hazards: NA international agreements: NA

International disputes

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

Irrigated land

200 sq km

Land boundaries

total 62 km, Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km

Land use

arable land: 13% permanent crops: 32% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 55%

Location

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

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

Israeli occupied with status to be determined

Natural resources

negligible

Note

there are 24 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the Gaza Strip (April 1994)

Terrain

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

Digraph

GZ

Names

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Gaza Strip local long form: none local short form: Qita Ghazzah

Note

Under the Israeli-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arragements ("the DOP"), Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, and subsequently to an elected Palestinian Council, 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. 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. Final status is to be determined through direct negotiations within five years.

Birth rate

45.01 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

5.45 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Palestinian Arab and other 99.8%, Jewish 0.2%

Infant mortality rate

36.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

NA 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

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 67.78 years male: 66.47 years female: 69.16 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality

noun: NA adjective: NA

Net migration rate

-4.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

731,296 (July 1994 est.) note: in addition, there are 4,500 Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip (1994 est.)

Population growth rate

3.53% (1994 est.)

Religions

Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 99%, Christian 0.7%, Jewish 0.3%

Total fertility rate

7.39 children born/woman (1994 est.)