:Gaza Strip Geography

Total area:
    380 km2
Land area:
    380 km2
Comparative area:
    slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
    62 km; Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km
Coastline:
    40 km
Maritime claims:
    Israeli occupied with status to be determined
Disputes:
    Israeli occupied with status to be determined
Climate:
    temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers
Terrain:
    flat to rolling, sand- and dune- covered coastal plain
Natural resources:
    negligible
Land use:
    arable land 13%, permanent crops 32%, meadows and pastures 0%, forest and
    woodland 0%, other 55%
Environment:
    desertification
Note:
    The war between Israel and the Arab states in June 1967 ended with Israel in
    control of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Sinai, and the Golan
    Heights. As stated in the 1978 Camp David accords and reaffirmed by
    President Bush's post - Gulf crisis peace initiative, the final status of
    the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, their relationship with their neighbors,
    and a peace treaty be-tween Israel and Jordan are to be negotiated among the
    concerned parties. Camp David further specifies that these negotiations will
    resolve the respective boundaries. Pending the completion of this process,
    it is US policy that the final status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
    has yet to be determined. In the US view, the term West Bank describes all
    of the area west of the Jordan River under Jordanian administration before
    the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. With respect to negotiations envisaged in the
    framework agreement, however, it is US policy that a distinction must be
    made between Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank because of the city's
    special status and circumstances. Therefore, a negotiated solution for the
    final status of Jerusalem could be different in character from that of the
    rest of the West Bank.
    The Gaza Strip is currently governed by Israeli military authorities and
    Israeli civil administration; it is US policy that the final status of the
    Gaza Strip will be determined by negotiations among the concerned parties;
    these negotiations will determine how this area is to be governed.
    There are 18 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.

:Gaza Strip People

Population:
    681,026 (July 1992), growth rate 3.6% (1992); in addition, there are 4,000
    Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip (1992 est.)
Birth rate:
    46 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
    6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
    - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
    41 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
    66 years male, 68 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
    6.9 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
    NA
Ethnic divisions:
    Palestinian Arab and other 99.8%, Jewish 0.2%
Religions:
    Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 99%, Christian 0.7%, Jewish 0.3%
Languages:
    Arabic, Israeli settlers speak Hebrew; English widely understood
Literacy:
    NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
Labor force:
    (excluding Israeli Jewish settlers) small industry, commerce and business
    32.0%, construction 24.4%, service and other 25.5%, and agriculture 18.1%
    (1984)
Organized labor:
    NA

:Gaza Strip Government

Long-form name:
    none

:Gaza Strip Economy

Overview:
    In 1990 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 15%, 12%, and 8% of
    GNP, respectively. Gaza depends upon Israel for some 90% of its external
    trade. Unrest in the territory in 1988-92 (intifadah) has raised
    unemployment and substantially lowered the standard of living of Gazans. The
    Persian Gulf crisis and its aftershocks also have dealt severe blows to Gaza
    since August 1990. Worker remittances from the Gulf states have plunged,
    unemployment has increased, and exports have fallen dramatically. The area's
    economic outlook remains bleak.
GNP:
    exchange rate conversion - $380 million, per capita $590; real growth rate -
    30% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
    9% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
    20% (1990 est.)
Budget:
    revenues $33.8 million; expenditures $33.3 million, including capital
    expenditures of $NA (FY88)
Exports:
    $30 million (f.o.b., 1989)
  commodities:
    citrus
  partners:
    Israel, Egypt
Imports:
    $255 million (c.i.f., 1989)
  commodities:
    food, consumer goods, construction materials
  partners:
    Israel, Egypt
External debt:
    $NA
Industrial production:
    growth rate 10% (1989); accounts for about 8% of GNP
Electricity:
    power supplied by Israel
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
Agriculture:
    accounts for about 12% of GNP; olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables,
    beef, dairy products
Economic aid:
    NA
Currency:
    new Israeli shekel (plural - shekels); 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new
    agorot
Exchange rates:
    new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.2984 (January 1992), 2.2792 (1991),
    2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946 (1987)
Fiscal year:
    previously 1 April - 31 March; FY91 was 1 April - 3l December, and since 1
    January 1992 the fiscal year has conformed to the calendar year

:Gaza Strip Communications

Railroads:
    one line, abandoned and in disrepair, some trackage remains
Highways:
    small, poorly developed indigenous road network
Ports:
    facilities for small boats to service the city of Gaza
Airports:
    1 with permanent-surface runway less than 1,220 m
Telecommunications:
    broadcast stations - no AM, no FM, no TV

:Gaza Strip Defense Forces

Branches:
    NA
Manpower availability:
    males 15-49, 136,311; NA fit for military service
Defense expenditures:
    exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP