Gaza Strip

Branches

NA

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

Manpower availability

males age 15-49: NA males fit for military service: NA

Radio broadcast stations

AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios

NA; note - 95% of Palestinian households have radios (1992 est.)

Telephone system

domestic: NA international: NA

Telephones

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

Television broadcast stations

0

Televisions

NA; note - 59% of Palestinian households have televisions (1992 est.) Defense

Agriculture

olives, citrus, other fruits, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Budget

$NA

Currency

1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA note: $410 million (est.) disbursed from international aid pledges in 1995 (includes aid to West Bank)

Economic 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.

Electricity

power supplied by Israel

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)

Exports

$49 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: citrus partners: Israel, Egypt

External debt

$NA

Fiscal year

calendar year (since 1 January 1992)

GDP

purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture: 33% industry: 7% services: 60% (1995 est., includes West Bank)

GDP per capita

$1,200 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

3%-4% (1995 est.)

Imports

$339 million (c.i.f., 1994 est.) commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials partners: Israel, Egypt

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

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)

14% (1995 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 Israeli settlers

Unemployment rate

30%-45% (1995 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

Geographic coordinates

31 25 N, 34 20 E

Geographic note

there are 24 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Gaza Strip (August 1995 est.)

International disputes

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

Irrigated land

115 sq km (1992 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 62 km border countries: 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 Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

Israeli occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation

Natural resources

NEGL

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

Data code

GZ

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.

Name of country

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 52% (male 244,026; female 231,976) 15-64 years: 46% (male 210,706; female 210,764) 65 years and over: 2% (male 11,553; female 14,915) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Ethnic divisions

Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6%

Infant mortality rate

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

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 71.98 years male: 70.69 years female: 73.34 years (1996 est.)

Literacy

NA

Nationality

noun: NA adjective: NA

Net migration rate

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

Population

923,940 (July 1996 est.) note: in addition, there are 5,000 Israeli settlers in the Gaza Strip (August 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

6.79% (1996 est.)

Religions

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

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.)

Total fertility rate

7.79 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Airports

total: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 1 (1995 est.)

Highways

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

Ports

Gaza

Railways

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