GAZA STRIP
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 Reagan's 1 September 1982 peace initiative,
the final status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, their relationship
with their neighbors, and a peace treaty between 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 view of
the US, the term West Bank describes all of the area west of the Jordan
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.
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 380km2; land area: 380 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Washington,
DC
Land boundaries: 62 km total; 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: there are 18 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip
PEOPLE
Population: 642,253 (July 1991), growth rate 3.2% (1991);
in addition, there are 2,500 Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip (1990
est.)
Birth rate: 43 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: - 5 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 41 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 67 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 6.9 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: NA
Ethnic divisions: Palestinian Arab and other 99.8%, Jewish 0.2%
Religion: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 99%, Christian 0.7%,
Jewish 0.3%
Language: 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
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: none
Note: 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.
ECONOMY
Overview: Nearly half the labor force of the Gaza Strip is
employed across the border by Israeli industrial, construction, and
agricultural enterprises, with worker transfer funds accounting for 46%
of GNP in 1990. The once dominant agricultural sector now contributes
only 13% to GNP, about the same as that of the construction sector, and
industry accounts for 7%. Gaza depends upon Israel for 90% of its
imports and as a market for 80% of its exports. Unrest in the territory
in 1988-91 (intifadah) has raised unemployment and substantially
lowered the incomes of the population. Furthermore, the Persian Gulf
crisis dealt a severe blow to the Gaza Strip in 1990 and on into 1991.
Worker remittances from the Gulf states have plunged, unemployment has
increased, and export revenues have fallen dramatically. The risk of
malnutrition is a real possibility in 1991.
GNP: $270 million, per capita $430; real growth rate - 25%
(1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $36.6 million; expenditures $32.0 million,
including capital expenditures of NA (1986)
Exports: $88 million;
commodities--citrus;
partners--Israel, Egypt (1989 est.)
Imports: $260 million;
commodities--food, consumer goods, construction materials;
partners--Israel, Egypt (1989 est.)
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: power supplied by Israel
Industries: 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 an
industrial center
Agriculture: olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef,
dairy products
Economic aid: none
Currency: new Israeli shekel (plural--shekels);
1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--2.0120 (January
1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946 (1987), 1.4878
(1986), 1.1788
(1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-March 31
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: one line, abandoned and in disrepair, but trackage
remains
Highways: small, poorly developed indigenous road network
Ports: facilities for small boats to service Gaza
Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway less than 1,220 m
Telecommunications: stations--no AM, no FM, no TV
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: NA
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 136,311; NA fit for military
service
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP