West Bank

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios

NA; note - 82% of Palestinian households have radios (1992 est.)

Telephone system

domestic: NA international : NA note: Israeli company BEZEK is responsible for communication services in the West Bank

Telephones

NA note: 3.1% of Palestinian households have telephones

Television broadcast stations

0 note: 1 broadcast station is planned for Jericho

Televisions

NA; note - 54% of Palestinian households have televisions (1992 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $684 million expenditures: $779 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996) note : includes Gaza Strip

Currency

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

Debt - external

$NA

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Economy - overview

Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by tight Israeli security restrictions. 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. GDP has been substantially supplemented by remittances of workers employed in Israel. Such transfers from the Persian Gulf states 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. An estimated 147,000 people were in refugee camps in 1996.

Electricity - capacity

NA kW note: most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; at the same time, some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nabulus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants

Electricity - consumption per capita

NA kWh

Electricity - production

NA kWh note: most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; at the same time, some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nabulus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants

Exchange rates

new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 3.41 (May 1997), 3.2882 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994), 2.8301 (1993), 2.4591 (1992); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 - 0.7090 (January 1997), 0.7090 (1996), 0.7005 (1995), 0.6987 (1994), 0.6928 (1993), 0.6797 (1992)

Exports

total value: $235 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.) (includes Gaza Strip) commodities : olives, fruit, vegetables partners: Jordan, Israel

Fiscal year

calendar year (since 1 January 1992)

GDP

purchasing power parity - $2.8 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 33% industry: 25% services: 42% (1995 est., includes Gaza Strip)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,600 (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

-1% to -2% (1996 est.)

Imports

total value: $1.55 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.) (includes Gaza Strip) commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials partners : Jordan, Israel

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

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 price index

11% (1995 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 Israeli settlers

Unemployment rate

35% to 40% (1996 est.)

Area

total: 5,860 sq km land: 5,640 sq km water: 220 sq km note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Delaware

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m

Environment - current issues

NA

Environment - international agreements

party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified : none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

32 00 N, 35 15 E

Geography - note

landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 203 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank and 26 in East Jerusalem (August 1996 est.)

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

total : 404 km border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km

Land use

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

Location

Middle East, west of Jordan

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

NEGL

Terrain

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

Country name

conventional long form: none conventional short form: West Bank

Data code

WE

Military branches

NA

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA%

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: NA

Military manpower - fit for military service

males : NA

Age structure

0-14 years: 46% (male 347,152; female 329,906) 15-64 years : 51% (male 387,847; female 380,629) 65 years and over: 3% (male 21,223; female 28,926) (July 1997 est.)

Birth rate

37.71 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate

4.5 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Ethnic groups

Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%

Infant mortality rate

27.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 72.11 years male: 70.43 years female: 73.88 years (1997 est.)

Literacy

NA

Nationality

noun : NA adjective: NA

Net migration rate

10.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Population

1,495,683 (July 1997 est.) note: in addition, there are 136,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and 156,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

4.32% (1997 est.)

Religions

Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8%

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 (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.06 children born/woman (1997 est.)

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 WESTERN SAHARA

Airports

2 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Highways

total: NA km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km note: small road network; Israelis have developed many highways to service Jewish settlements

Ports and harbors

none

Railways

0 km