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

total: NA paved: NA unpaved: NA note: 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

$NA, NA% of GDP

Agriculture

accounts for about 23% of GNP; olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, and dairy products

Budget

revenues: $43.4 million expenditures: $43.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90)

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 - 2.9760 (February 1994), 2.8301 (1993), 2.4591 (1992), 2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 - 0.7019 (February 1994), 0.6928 (1993), 0.6797 (1992), 0.6808 (1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704 (1989)

Exports

$175 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: olives, fruit, vegetables partners: Jordan, Israel

External debt

$NA

Fiscal year

calendar year (since 1 January 1992)

Imports

$775 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.) commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials partners: Jordan, Israel

Industrial production

growth rate -1% (1991); accounts for about 6% 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)

12% (1991 est.)

National product

GNP - exchange rate conversion - $2 billion (1991 est.)

National product per capita

$2,050 (1991 est.)

National product real growth rate

-7% (1991 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 Palestinian firms to compete with Israeli industry. A major share of GNP has traditionally been derived from remittances of workers employed in Israel and Persian Gulf states. Such transfers from the Gulf dropped 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 dropped because of the decline of markets in Jordan and the Gulf states. Israeli measures to curtail the intifadah also have added to unemployment and lowered living standards. The area's economic situation has worsened since Israel's partial closure of the territories in 1993.

Unemployment rate

15% (1991 est.)

Area

total area: 5,860 sq km land area: 5,640 sq km 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

current issues: NA 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

NA sq km

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; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 200 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank and 25 in East Jerusalem (April 1994)

Terrain

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

Digraph

WE

Names

conventional long form: none conventional short form: West Bank

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

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

Death rate

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

Ethnic divisions

Palestinian Arab and other 88%, Jewish 12%

Infant mortality rate

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

Labor force

NA by occupation: construction 28.2%, agriculture 21.8%, industry 14.5%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 12.6%, other services 22.9% (1991) note: excluding Jewish settlers

Languages

Arabic, Hebrew spoken by Israeli settlers, English widely understood

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 70.39 years male: 68.88 years female: 71.98 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

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

Nationality

noun: NA adjective: NA

Net migration rate

-0.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

1,443,790 (July 1994 est.) note: in addition, there are 110,500 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 144,100 in East Jerusalem (1994 est.)

Population growth rate

2.68% (1994 est.)

Religions

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

Total fertility rate

4.2 children born/woman (1994 est.)