Gaza Strip

Internet country code

.ps

Internet users

60,000 (includes West Bank) (2001)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Telephone system

general assessment: NA domestic: rudimentary telephone services provided by an open-wire system international: NA

Telephones - main lines in use

95,729 (total for Gaza Strip and West Bank) (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular

320,000 (cellular subscribers in both Gaza Strip and West Bank) (2002)

Television broadcast stations

2 (operated by the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation) (1997)

Agriculture - products

olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Budget

revenues: $676.6 million expenditures: $1.155 billion, including capital expenditures of NA; note - these budget data include West Bank (2003)

Currency (code)

new Israeli shekel (ILS)

Debt - external

$108 million (includes West Bank) (1997 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$2 billion (includes West Bank) (2004 est.)

Economy - overview

High population density, limited land access, and strict internal and external controls have kept economic conditions in the Gaza Strip - the smaller of the two areas under the Palestinian Authority - even more degraded than in the West Bank. An anticipated Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 may offer some medium-term opportunities for economic growth. The beginning of the second intifadah in September 2000 sparked an economic downturn, largely the result of Israeli closure policies; these policies, which were imposed in response to security interests in Israel, disrupted labor and commodity relationships with the Gaza Strip. In 2001, and even more severely in 2003, Israeli military measures in Palestinian Authority areas resulted in the destruction of much capital plant, the disruption of administrative structure, and widespread business closures. Including the West Bank, the UN estimates that more than 100,000 Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in Israel or in joint industrial zones have lost their jobs. International aid of $2 billion to Gaza Strip and the West Bank in 2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy and allowed some reforms in the government's financial operations. Meanwhile unemployment has continued at half the labor force. ARAFAT's death in 2004 leaves open more political options that could affect the economy.

Electricity - consumption

NA kWh

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Israel (2001)

Electricity - production

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Israel

Exchange rates

new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001), 4.0773 (2000)

Exports

$205 million f.o.b., includes West Bank (2002)

Exports - commodities

citrus, flowers

Exports - partners

Israel, Egypt, West Bank

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$768 million (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 9% industry: 28% services: 63% (includes West Bank) (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $600 (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4.5% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA

Imports

$1.9 billion c.i.f., includes West Bank (2002)

Imports - commodities

food, consumer goods, construction materials

Imports - partners

Israel, Egypt, West Bank

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)

2.2% (includes West Bank) (2001 est.)

Labor force

725,000 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 14%, industry 19%, services 66% (2004)

Population below poverty line

81% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate

50% (includes West Bank) (2003 est.)

Area

total: 360 sq km land: 360 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Climate

temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Coastline

40 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m

Environment - current issues

desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation; depletion and contamination of underground water resources

Geographic coordinates

31 25 N, 34 20 E

Geography - note

there are 25 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Gaza Strip (February 2002 est.)

Irrigated land

120 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 62 km border countries: Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km

Land use

arable land: 28.95% permanent crops: 21.05% other: 50% (2001)

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 hazards

droughts

Natural resources

arable land, natural gas

Terrain

flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain

Country name

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

Background

The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which includes the Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January 1996, as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took 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 Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external and internal security and for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, but were derailed by a second intifadah that broke out in September 2000. The resulting widespread violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel's military response, and instability within the Palestinian Authority continued to undermine progress toward a permanent agreement. Following the death of longtime Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT in November 2004, the election of his successor Mahmud ABBAS in January 2005 brought about a turning point in the conflict. In February 2005 the Israeli Government voted to disengage from the Gaza Strip by dismantling all Israeli settlements and removing all Israeli settlers. This process was completed in September 2005. Nonetheless, Israel maintains offshore maritime control as well as airspace control. The future political status of the Gaza Strip has yet to be determined.

Military branches

in accordance with the peace agreement, the Palestinian Authority is not permitted conventional military forces; there are, however, public security forces (2002)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA

Age structure

0-14 years: 48.5% (male 342,186/female 325,899) 15-64 years: 48.8% (male 342,927/female 329,354) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 15,036/female 20,887) (2005 est.)

Birth rate

40.03 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate

3.87 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Ethnic groups

Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

total: 22.93 deaths/1,000 live births male: 24.05 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 71.79 years male: 70.5 years female: 73.15 years (2005 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.9% male: 96.3% female: 87.4% (2003 est.)

Median age

total: 15.65 years male: 15.5 years female: 15.81 years (2005 est.)

Nationality

noun: NA adjective: NA

Net migration rate

1.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Population

1,376,289 note: in addition, there are more than 5,000 Israeli settlers in the Gaza Strip (July 2005 est.)

Population growth rate

3.77% (2005 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: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.91 children born/woman (2005 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; Israel announced its intention to pull out settlers and withdraw from the Gaza Strip in 2005

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 922,674 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2004)

Airports

2 (2001) note: includes Gaza International Airport (GIA), inaugurated on 24 November 1998 as part of agreements stipulated in the September 1995 Oslo II Accord and the 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum; GIA has been largely closed since October 2000 by Israeli orders and its runway was destroyed by the Israeli Defense Forces in December 2001 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Heliports

1 (2004 est.)

Highways

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

Ports and harbors

Gaza