Part 815

Televisions: NA

Defense -------

Defense note: defense is the responsibility of France

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@West Bank ---------

The Israel-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. Permanent status negotiations began on 5 May 1996.

Map ---

Location: 32 00 N, 35 15 E -- Middle East, west of Jordan

Geography ---------

Location: Middle East, west of Jordan

Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 35 15 E

Map references: Middle East

Area: total area: 5,860 sq km land area: 5,640 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Delaware 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

Land boundaries: total: 404 km border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

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, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters

Terrain: mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use: arable land: 27% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 32% forest and woodland: 1% other: 40%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

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

Geographic note: landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 202 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank and 26 in East Jerusalem (August 1995 est.)

People ------

Population: 1,427,741 (July 1996 est.) note: in addition, there are 127,600 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and 153,700 in East Jerusalem (August 1995 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 45% (male 332,628; female 315,968) 15-64 years: 51% (male 368,180; female 362,880) 65 years and over: 4% (male 20,495; female 27,590) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 4.99% (1996 est.)