ARCHIVE // PS // 1998

West Bank

1998 Edition — disputed

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Economy
Agricultural products (Agriculture-products) [time series]
olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables; beef, dairy products
Budget [time series]
revenues: $684 million expenditures: $779 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996) note: includes Gaza Strip
Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]
1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot; 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
Debt - external (Debt-external) [time series]
$51 million (1995)
Economic aid [time series]
recipient: ODA, $NA
Economic overview (Economy-overview) [time series]
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 Israeli policies that block the movement of goods and people. 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 workers who commute to jobs in Israel. Worker remittances 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 (Electricity-capacity) [time series]
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 (Electricity-consumption per capita) [time series]
NA kWh
Electricity - production (Electricity-production) [time series]
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 [time series]
new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1-3.5340 (December 1997), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994), 2.8301 (1993); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1-0.7090 (January 1998), 0.7090 (1997), 0.7090 (1996), 0.7005 (1995), 0.6987 (1994), 0.6928 (1993)
Exports [time series]
total value: $630 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) (includes Gaza Strip) commodities: olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone partners: Jordan, Israel
Fiscal year [time series]
calendar year (since 1 January 1992) Communications
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]
purchasing power parity-$2.8 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP-composition by sector) [time series]
agriculture: 33% industry: 25% services: 42% (1995 est., includes Gaza Strip)
Real GDP per capita (GDP-per capita) [time series]
purchasing power parity-$1,600 (1996 est.)
Real GDP growth rate (GDP-real growth rate) [time series]
-6.9% (1996 est.)
Imports [time series]
total value: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.) (includes Gaza Strip) commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials partners: Jordan, Israel
Industrial production growth rate [time series]
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) (Inflation rate-consumer price index) [time series]
8.4% (1996 est.)
Labor force [time series]
NA by occupation: agriculture 13%, industry 13%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 12%, construction 8%, other services 54% (1996) note: excluding Israeli settlers
Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]
AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios [time series]
NA; note-82% of Palestinian households have radios (1992 est.)
Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]
domestic: NA international: NA note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for communication services in the West Bank
Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones) [time series]
NA note: 3.1% of Palestinian households have telephones
Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]
about 25 low-powered stations
Televisions [time series]
NA; note-54% of Palestinian households have televisions (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate [time series]
28% (1997 est.)
Geography
Area [time series]
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 (Area-comparative) [time series]
slightly smaller than Delaware
Climate [time series]
temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Coastline [time series]
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
Environment - current issues (Environment-current issues) [time series]
adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment
International environmental agreements (Environment-international agreements) [time series]
party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geographic coordinates [time series]
32 00 N, 35 15 E
Geography - note (Geography-note) [time series]
landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 207 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 1997 est.)
Irrigated land [time series]
NA sq km
Land boundaries [time series]
total: 404 km border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
Land use [time series]
arable land: 27% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 32% forests and woodland: 1% other: 40%
Location [time series]
Middle East, west of Jordan
Map references [time series]
Middle East
Maritime claims [time series]
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards [time series]
NA
Natural resources [time series]
NEGL
Terrain [time series]
mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east
Government
Country name [time series]
conventional long form: none conventional short form: West Bank
Data code [time series]
WE
Military
Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]
NA
Military expenditures - dollar figure (Military expenditures-dollar figure) [time series]
$NA
Military expenditures (Military expenditures-percent of GDP) [time series]
NA%
People
Age structure [time series]
0-14 years: 45% (male 359,848; female 342,173) 15-64 years: 52% (male 405,929; female 396,928) 65 years and over: 3% (male 21,853; female 30,188) (July 1998 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
36.65 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate [time series]
4.35 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Ethnic groups [time series]
Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%
Infant mortality rate [time series]
26.35 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Languages [time series]
Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: 72.47 years male: 70.7 years female: 74.33 years (1998 est.)
Literacy [time series]
NA
Nationality [time series]
noun: NA adjective: NA
Net migration rate [time series]
4.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Population [time series]
1,556,919 (July 1998 est.) note: in addition, there are 155,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and 164,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1997 est.)
Population growth rate [time series]
3.71% (1998 est.)
Religions [time series]
Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8%
Sex ratio [time series]
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: 0.72 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
4.92 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international (Disputes-international) [time series]
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
Transportation
Airports [time series]
2 (1997 est.)
Airports - with paved runways (Airports-with paved runways) [time series]
total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Roadways (Highways) [time series]
total: 4,500 km paved: 2,700 km unpaved: 1,800 km (1997 est.) note: Israelis have developed many highways to service Jewish settlements
Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]
none
Railways [time series]
0 km