Gaza Strip




                                  Header


Note:
     The war between Israel and Egypt, Syria, and Jordan in June 1967 ended
     with Israel in control of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza
     Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights. Israel withdrew
     from the Sinai Peninsula pursuant to a 1979 peace treaty with Egypt.
     The Israeli-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government
     Arrangements ("the DOP"), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993,
     provides for a transitional period not exceeding five years of
     Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West
     Bank. Under the DOP, final status negotiations are to begin no later
     than the beginning of the third year of the transitional period.


                                 Geography


Location:
     Middle East, bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt
     and Israel
Map references:
     Middle East
Area:
total area:
     360 sq km
land area:
     360 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
     total 62 km, Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km
Coastline:
     40 km
Maritime claims:
     Israeli occupied with status to be determined
International disputes:
     West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli occupied with interim status
     subject to Israeli/Palestinian negotiations - final 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%
Irrigated land:
     200 sq km
Environment:
current issues:
     desertification
natural hazards:
     NA
international agreements:
     NA
Note:
     there are 24 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the
     Gaza Strip (April 1994)


                                  People


Population:
     731,296 (July 1994 est.)
note:
     in addition, there are 4,500 Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip (1994
     est.)
Population growth rate:
     3.53% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     45.01 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     5.45 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     -4.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     36.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     67.78 years
male:
     66.47 years
female:
     69.16 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     7.39 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     NA
adjective:
     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, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers), English (widely
     understood)




Literacy:
total population:
     NA%
male:
     NA%
female:
     NA%
Labor force:
     NA
by occupation:
     construction 33.4%, agriculture 20.0%, commerce, restaurants, and
     hotels 14.9%, industry 10.0%, other services 21.7% (1991)
note:
     excluding Jewish settlers


                                Government


Note:
     Under the Israeli-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim
     Self-Government Arragements ("the DOP"), Israel agreed to transfer
     certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, and
     subsequently to an elected Palestinian Council, as part of interim
     self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A
     transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho
     has taken place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement
     on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area. The DOP provides that Israel
     will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external
     security and for internal security and public order of settlements and
     Israelis. Final status is to be determined through direct negotiations
     within five years.
Names:
conventional long form:
     none
conventional short form:
local long form:
     none
local short form:
     Qita Ghazzah
Digraph:
     GZ


                                  Economy




Overview:
     In 1991 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 18%, 16%, and 12% of GNP, respectively. Gaza depends upon
     Israel for nearly 90% of its external trade. Aggravating the impact of
     Israeli military administration, unrest in the territory since 1988
     (intifadah) has raised unemployment and lowered the standard of living
     of Gazans. The Persian Gulf crisis and its aftershocks also have dealt
     blows to Gaza since August 1990. Worker remittances from the Gulf
     states have dropped, unemployment has increased, and exports have
     fallen. The withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip in May 1994
     brings a new set of adjustment problems.
National product:
     GNP - exchange rate conversion - $840 million (1991 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     1% (1991 est.)
National product per capita:
     $1,275 (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     7% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     20% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
     $33.6 million
expenditures:
     $34.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90)
Exports:
     $75 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
     citrus
partners:
     Israel, Egypt
Imports:
     $370 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.)
commodities:
     food, consumer goods, construction materials
partners:
     Israel, Egypt
External debt:
     $NA
Industrial production:
     growth rate 11% (1991 est.); accounts for about 12% 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 16% of GNP; olives, citrus and other fruits,
     vegetables, beef, dairy products




Economic aid:
     $NA
Currency:
     1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
Exchange rates:
     new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.9760 (February 1994), 2.8301
     (1993), 2.4591 (1992), 2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year (since 1 January 1992)


                              Communications


Railroads:
     one line, abandoned and in disrepair, some trackage remains
Highways:
total:
     NA
paved:
     NA
unpaved:
     NA
note:
     small, poorly developed road network
Ports:
     facilities for small boats to service the city of Gaza
Airports:
total:
     1
usable:
     1
with permanent-surface runways:
     0
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     0
Telecommunications:
     broadcast stations - no AM, no FM, no TV


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     NA
Defense expenditures:
     $NA, NA% of GDP