Part 269

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 border countries: Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km

Coastline: 40 km

Maritime claims: Israeli occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation

International disputes: 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

Climate: temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Terrain: flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use: arable land: 13% permanent crops: 32% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 55%

Irrigated land: 115 sq km (1992 est.)

Environment: current issues: desertification natural hazards: NA international agreements: NA

Geographic note: there are 24 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Gaza Strip (August 1995 est.)

People ------

Population: 923,940 (July 1996 est.) note: in addition, there are 5,000 Israeli settlers in the Gaza Strip (August 1995 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 52% (male 244,026; female 231,976) 15-64 years: 46% (male 210,706; female 210,764) 65 years and over: 2% (male 11,553; female 14,915) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 6.79% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 50.67 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 4.4 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: 21.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female all ages: 1.02 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 27.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.98 years male: 70.69 years female: 73.34 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 7.79 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality: noun: NA adjective: NA

Ethnic divisions: Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6%

Religions: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%, Christian 0.7%, Jewish 0.6%

Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers), English (widely understood)