ARCHIVE // PS // 1990

West Bank

1990 Edition — disputed

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
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Communications
Airports [time series]
2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Roadways (Highways) [time series]
small indigenous road network, Israelis developing east-west axial highways
Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]
open-wire telephone system currently being upgraded; stations--no AM, no FM, no TV
Defense Forces
Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]
NA
Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]
NA
Military manpower [time series]
NA
Economy
Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]
olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, and dairy products
Aid [time series]
none
Budget [time series]
revenues $47.4 million; expenditures $45.7 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY86)
Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]
new Israeli shekel (plural--shekels) and Jordanian dinar (plural--dinars); 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot and 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
Electricity [time series]
power supplied by Israel
Exchange rates [time series]
new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--1.9450 (January 1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5992 (1988), 1.5946 (1987), 1.4878 (1986), 1.1788 (1985); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1--0.6557 (January 1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3715 (1988), 0.3387 (1987), 0.3499 (1986), 0.3940 (1985)
Exports [time series]
$150 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--NA; partners--Jordan, Israel
Debt - external (External debt) [time series]
$NA
Fiscal year [time series]
1 April-31 March
GNP [time series]
$1.0 billion, per capita $1,000; real growth rate - 15% (1988 est.)
Imports [time series]
$410 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities--NA; partners--Jordan, Israel
Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]
growth rate NA%
Industries [time series]
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) [time series]
NA%
Economic overview (Overview) [time series]
Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by Israeli military occupation and the effects of the Palestinian uprising. Industries using advanced technology or requiring sizable financial resources have been discouraged by a lack of financial resources and Israeli policy. Capital investment has largely gone into residential housing, not into productive assets that could compete with Israeli industry. A major share of GNP is derived from remittances of workers employed in Israel and neighboring Gulf states. Israeli reprisals against Palestinian unrest in the West Bank since 1987 have pushed unemployment up and lowered living standards.
Unemployment rate [time series]
NA%
Geography
Climate [time series]
temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Coastline [time series]
none--landlocked
Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]
slightly larger than Delaware
Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]
Israeli occupied with status to be determined
Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]
highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers
Land boundaries [time series]
404 km total; Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km;
Land use [time series]
27% arable land, 0% permanent crops, 32% meadows and pastures, 1% forest and woodland, 40% other
Maritime claims [time series]
none--landlocked
Natural resources [time series]
negligible
Note [time series]
landlocked; there are 173 Jewish settlements in the West Bank and 14 Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem
Terrain [time series]
mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east
Area (Total area) [time series]
5,860 km2; land area: 5,640 km2; includes West Bank, East Jerusalem, Latrun Salient, Jerusalem No Man's Land, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus
Government
Country name (Long-form name) [time series]
none
Note [time series]
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.
People
Birth rate [time series]
37 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate [time series]
6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]
88% Palestinian Arab and other, 12% Jewish
Infant mortality rate [time series]
48 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force [time series]
NA; excluding Israeli Jewish settlers--29.8% small industry, commerce, and business, 24.2% construction, 22.4% agriculture, 23.6% service and other (1984)
Languages (Language) [time series]
Arabic, Israeli settlers speak Hebrew, English widely understood
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
65 years male, 68 years female (1990)
Literacy [time series]
NA%
Nationality [time series]
NA
Net migration rate [time series]
- 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor [time series]
NA
Population [time series]
1,058,122 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990); in addition, there are 70,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 110,000 in East Jerusalem (1989 est.)
Religions (Religion) [time series]
80% Muslim (predominantly Sunni), 12% Jewish, 8% Christian and other
Total fertility rate [time series]
5.0 children born/woman (1990)