West Bank

Airports

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

Highways

small road network, Israelis developing east-west axial highways to service new settlements

Telecommunications

open-wire telephone system currently being upgraded; broadcast stations - no AM, no FM, no TV

Branches

NA

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

Manpower availability

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

Agriculture

accounts for about 15% of GNP; olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, and dairy products

Budget

revenues $31.0 million; expenditures $36.1 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY88)

Currency

1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot; 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils

Economic aid

NA

Electricity

power supplied by Israel

Exchange rates

new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.6480 (November 1992), 2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946 (1987); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 - 0.6890 (January 1993), 0.6797 (1992), 0.6808 (1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3709 (1988)

Exports

$150 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.) commodities: NA partners: Jordan, Israel

External debt

$NA

Fiscal year

calendar year (since 1 January 1992)

Imports

$410 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.) commodities: NA partners: Jordan, Israel

Industrial production

growth rate 1% (1989); accounts for about 4% of GNP

Industries

generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

11% (1991 est.)

National product

GNP - exchange rate conversion - $1.3 billion (1990 est.)

National product per capita

$1,200 (1990 est.)

National product real growth rate

-10% (1990 est.)

Overview

Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by Israeli military administration and the effects of the Palestinian uprising (intifadah). Industries using advanced technology or requiring sizable investment have been discouraged by a lack of local capital and restrictive Israeli policies. Capital investment consists largely of residential housing, not productive assets that would enable local firms to compete with Israeli industry. A major share of GNP is derived from remittances of workers employed in Israel and Persian Gulf states, but such transfers from the Gulf dropped dramatically after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. In the wake of the Persian Gulf crisis, many Palestinians have returned to the West Bank, increasing unemployment, and export revenues have plunged because of the loss of markets in Jordan and the Gulf states. Israeli measures to curtail the intifadah also have pushed unemployment up and lowered living standards. The area's economic outlook remains bleak.

Unemployment rate

15% (1990 est.)

Area

total area: 5,860 km2 land area: 5,640 km2 comparative area: slightly larger than Delaware note: includes West Bank, East Jerusalem, Latrun Salient, Jerusalem No Man's Land, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus

Climate

temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Environment

highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers

International disputes

Israeli occupied with status to be determined

Irrigated land

NA km2

Land boundaries

total 404 km, Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km

Land use

arable land: 27% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 32% forest and woodland: 1% other: 40%

Location

Middle East, between Jordan and Israel

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

none; landlocked

Natural resources

negligible

Note

landlocked; there are 175 Jewish settlements in the West Bank and 14 Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem

Terrain

mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east

Digraph

WG

Names

conventional long form: none conventional short form: West Bank

Note

The West Bank is currently governed by Israeli military authorities and Israeli civil administration. It is US policy that the final status of the West Bank will be determined by negotiations among the concerned parties. These negotiations will determine how the area is to be governed.

Birth rate

33.78 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate

5.32 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Palestinian Arab and other 88%, Jewish 12%

Infant mortality rate

35.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Labor force

NA by occupation: small industry, commerce, and business 29.8%, construction 24.2%, agriculture 22.4%, service and other 23.6% (1984) note: excluding Israeli Jewish settlers

Languages

Arabic, Hebrew spoken by Israeli settlers, English widely understood

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 69.93 years male: 68.48 years female: 71.46 years (1993 est.)

Literacy

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

Nationality

noun: NA adjective: NA

Net migration rate

0.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population

1,404,114 (July 1993 est.) note: in addition, there are 102,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 134,000 in East Jerusalem (1993 est.)

Population growth rate

2.9% (1993 est.)

Religions

Muslim 80% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 12%, Christian and other 8%

Total fertility rate

4.37 children born/woman (1993 est.)