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Background:
|
Following
World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of
Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and
Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs.
Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a
series of wars without ending the deep tensions between
the two sides. The territories occupied by Israel since
the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country
profile, unless otherwise noted. On 25 April 1982,
Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979
Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Israel and Palestinian
officials signed on 13 September 1993 a Declaration of
Principles (also known as the "Oslo accords") guiding an
interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding
territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved
in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In
addition, on 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally
from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982.
In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid
Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were
conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives
and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. On 24 June
2002, US President BUSH laid out a "road map" for
resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which
envisions a two-state solution. However, progress toward
a permanent status agreement has been undermined by
Palestinian-Israeli violence ongoing since September
2000. The conflict may have reached a turning point with
the election in January 2005 of Mahmud ABBAS as the new
Palestinian leader following the November 2004 death of
Yasir ARAFAT. |
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Location:
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Middle
East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and
Lebanon |
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Geographic coordinates:
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31 30 N,
34 45 E |
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Map references:
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Middle
East |
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Area:
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total:
20,770 sq km
land: 20,330 sq km
water: 440 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than New Jersey |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
1,017 km
border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km,
Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307
km |
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Coastline:
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273 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation |
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Climate:
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temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert
areas |
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Terrain:
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Negev
desert in the south; low coastal plain; central
mountains; Jordan Rift Valley |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m |
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Natural resources:
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timber,
potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock,
magnesium bromide, clays, sand |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 16.39%
permanent crops: 4.17%
other: 79.44% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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1,990 sq
km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts;
periodic earthquakes |
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Environment - current issues:
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limited
arable land and natural fresh water resources pose
serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from
industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution
from industrial and domestic waste, chemical
fertilizers, and pesticides |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life
Conservation |
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Geography - note:
|
there are
242 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in
the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights,
25 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (February
2002 est.); Sea of Galilee is an important freshwater
source |
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Population:
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6,276,883
note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in
the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied
Golan Heights, more than 5,000 in the Gaza Strip, and
fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2005 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 26.5% (male 851,415/female 812,095)
15-64 years: 63.7% (male 2,010,888/female
1,986,256)
65 years and over: 9.8% (male 264,708/female
351,521) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
29.39 years
male: 28.58 years
female: 30.27 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.2%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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18.21
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.18
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
7.03 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 7.77 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 79.32 years
male: 77.21 years
female: 81.55 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.44
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1%
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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3,000
(1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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100 (2001
est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Israeli(s)
adjective: Israeli |
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Ethnic groups:
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Jewish
80.1% (Europe/America-born 32.1%, Israel-born 20.8%,
Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish 19.9%
(mostly Arab) (1996 est.) |
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Religions:
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Jewish
76.5%, Muslim 15.9%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other
Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2003) |
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Languages:
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Hebrew
(official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority,
English most commonly used foreign language |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.4%
male: 97.3%
female: 93.6% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: State of Israel
conventional short form: Israel
local long form: Medinat Yisra'el
local short form: Yisra'el |
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy |
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Capital:
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Jerusalem; note - Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its
capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other
countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv |
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Administrative divisions:
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6
districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa,
Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv |
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Independence:
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14 May
1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British
administration) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared
independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is
lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May |
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Constitution:
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no formal
constitution; some of the functions of a constitution
are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948),
the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the
Israeli citizenship law |
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Legal system:
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mixture
of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and,
in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal
systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN
Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President Moshe KATZAV (since 31 July
2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Ariel SHARON
(since 7 March 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and
approved by the Knesset
elections: president is largely a ceremonial role
and is elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term;
election last held 31 July 2000 (next to be held
mid-2007); following legislative elections, the
president assigns a Knesset member - traditionally the
leader of the largest party - the task of forming a
governing coalition; election last held 28 January 2003
(next scheduled to be held fall of 2006)
election results: Moshe KATZAV elected president
by the 120-member Knesset with a total of 60 votes,
other candidate, Shimon PERES, received 57 votes (there
were three abstentions); Ariel SHARON continues as prime
minister after Likud Party victory in January 2003
Knesset elections; Likud won 38 seats and then formed
coalition government with Shinui, the National Religious
Party, and the National Union |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 January 2003 (next
scheduled to be held fall of 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party -
Likud Party 29.4%, Labor 14.5%, Shinui 12.3%, Shas 8.2%,
National Union 5.5%, Meretz 5.2%, United Torah Judaism
4.3%, National Religious Party 4.2%, Democratic Front
for Peace and Equality 3.0%, One Nation 2.8%, National
Democratic Assembly 2.3%, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya (YBA) 2.2%,
United Arab List 2.1%, Green Leaf Party 1.2%, Herut
1.2%, other 1.6%; seats by party - Likud 38, Labor 19,
Shinui 15, Shas 11, National Union 7, Meretz 6, National
Religious Party 6, United Torah Judaism 5, Democratic
Front for Peace and Equality 3, One Nation 3, National
Democratic Assembly 3, YBA 2, United Arab List 2 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court (justices appointed for life by the president)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash)
[Muhammad BARAKA]; Green Leaf Party (no longer active)
[Boaz WACHTEL and Shlomi SANDAK]; Herut (no longer
active) [Michael KLEINER]; Labor Party [Shimon PERES];
Likud Party [Ariel SHARON]; Meretz (merged with YAHAD)
[Zahava GALON]; National Democratic Assembly (Balad)
[Azmi BISHARA]; National Religious Party [Ephraim "Efie"
EITAM]; National Union (Haichud Haleumi) [Avigdor
LIBERMAN] (includes Tekuma Moledet and Yisra'el
Beiteinu); One Nation [David TAL]; Shas [Eliyahu
YISHAI]; Shinui [Yosef "Tommy" LAPID]; United Arab List
[Abd al-Malik DAHAMSHAH]; United Torah Judaism [Yaakov
LITZMAN]; YAHAD [Yossi BEILIN]; Yisra'el Ba'Aliya or YBA
(merged with Likud) [Natan SHARANSKY] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Israeli
nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West
Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial
concessions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Yesha
(settler) Council promotes settler interests and opposes
territorial compromise; B'Tselem monitors human rights
abuses |
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International organization participation:
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BIS, BSEC
(observer), CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, FAO,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, OAS (observer), OPCW
(signatory), OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Daniel AYALON
chancery: 3514 International Drive NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-5578
FAX: [1] (202) 364-5560
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago,
Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and
San Francisco |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Daniel C. KURTZER
embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63903
mailing address: PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830
telephone: [972] (3)
519-7369/7453/7454/7457/7458/7551/7575
FAX: [972] (3) 516-4390
consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note - an
independent US mission, established in 1928, whose
members are not accredited to a foreign government |
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Flag description:
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white
with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as
the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two
equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom
edges of the flag |
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Economy - overview:
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Israel
has a technologically advanced market economy with
substantial government participation. It depends on
imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and
military equipment. Despite limited natural resources,
Israel has intensively developed its agricultural and
industrial sectors over the past 20 years. Israel
imports substantial quantities of grain, but is largely
self-sufficient in other agricultural products. Cut
diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural
products (fruits and vegetables) are the leading
exports. Israel usually posts sizable current account
deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments
from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the
government's external debt is owed to the US, which is
its major source of economic and military aid. The
bitter Israeli-Palestinian conflict; difficulties in the
high-technology, construction, and tourist sectors; and
fiscal austerity in the face of growing inflation led to
small declines in GDP in 2001 and 2002. The economy grew
at 1% in 2003, with improvements in tourism and foreign
direct investment. In 2004, rising business and consumer
confidence - as well as higher demand for Israeli
exports boosted GDP by 3.9%. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$129
billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.9%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $20,800 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 2.8%
industry: 37.7%
services: 59.5% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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2.68
million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6%, manufacturing
20.2%, construction 7.5%, commerce 12.8%, transport,
storage, and communications 6.2%, finance and business
13.1%, personal and other services 6.4%, public services
31.2% (1996) |
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Unemployment rate:
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10.7%
(2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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18% (2001
est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 2.4%
highest 10%: 28.3% (1997) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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35.5
(2001) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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0% (2004
est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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17.6% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $48.09 billion
expenditures: $52.11 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
|
104.5% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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citrus,
vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products |
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Industries:
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high-technology projects (including aviation,
communications, computer-aided design and manufactures,
medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper
products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and
tobacco, caustic soda, cement, construction, metals
products, chemical products, plastics, diamond cutting,
textiles and footwear |
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Industrial production growth rate:
|
4.5%
(2004 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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42.67
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil
fuel: 99.9%
hydro: 0.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
|
38.3
billion kWh (2002) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
1.387
billion kWh (2002) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh
(2002) |
|
Oil - production:
|
80
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
260,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - exports:
|
NA |
|
Oil - imports:
|
NA |
|
Oil - proved reserves:
|
1.92
million bbl (1 January 2002) |
|
Natural gas - production:
|
10
million cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
|
10
million cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports:
|
0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
|
0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
20.81
billion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Current account balance:
|
$211.9
million (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$34.41
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
|
machinery
and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural
products, chemicals, textiles and apparel |
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Exports - partners:
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US 36.8%,
Belgium 7.5%, Hong Kong 4.9% (2004) |
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Imports:
|
$36.84
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
|
raw
materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough
diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods |
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Imports - partners:
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US 15%,
Belgium 10.1%, Germany 7.5%, Switzerland 6.5%, UK 6.1%
(2004) |
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|
$28.48
billion (2004 est.) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$74.46
billion (2004 est.) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$662
million from US (2003 est.) |
|
Currency (code):
|
new
Israeli shekel (ILS); note - NIS is the currency
abbreviation; ILS is the International Organization for
Standarization (ISO) code for the NIS |
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Currency code:
|
ILS |
|
Exchange rates:
|
new
Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.482 (2004), 4.5541
(2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001), 4.0773 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
|
calendar
year |
|
Telephones - main lines in use:
|
3.006
million (2002) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular:
|
6.334
million (2002) |
|
Telephone system:
|
general assessment: most highly developed system in
the Middle East although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and
microwave radio relay; all systems are digital
international: country code - 972; 3 submarine
cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2
Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) |
|
Radio broadcast stations:
|
AM 23, FM
15, shortwave 2 (1998) |
|
Radios:
|
3.07
million (1997) |
|
Television broadcast stations:
|
17 (plus
36 low-power repeaters) (1995) |
|
Televisions:
|
1.69
million (1997) |
|
Internet country code:
|
.il |
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Internet hosts:
|
437,516
(2004) |
|
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
|
21 (2000)
|
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Internet users:
|
2 million
(2002) |
|
Railways:
|
total:
640 km
standard gauge: 640 km 1.435-m gauge (2004) |
|
Highways:
|
total:
16,903 km
paved: 16,903 km (including 56 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2002) |
|
Pipelines:
|
gas 140
km; oil 1,509 km (2004) |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
Ashdod,
Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa |
|
Merchant marine:
|
total:
17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 752,873 GRT/881,711 DWT
by type: cargo 1, container 16
registered in other countries: 48 (2005) |
|
Airports:
|
51 (2004
est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total:
28
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total:
23
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.) |
|
Heliports:
|
3 (2004
est.) |
|
Military branches:
|
Israel
Defense Forces (IDF): Ground Corps, Navy, Air and Space
Force (includes Air Defense Forces); historically there
have been no separate Israeli military services |
|
Military service age and obligation:
|
17 years
of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary
(Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service;
both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript
service obligation - 36 months for men, 21 months for
women (2004) |
|
Manpower available for military service:
|
males
age 17-49: 1,492,125
females age 17-49: 1,443,916 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower fit for military service:
|
males
age 17-49: 1,255,902
females age 17-49: 1,212,394 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
|
males:
53,760
females: 51,293 (2005 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$9.11
billion (FY03) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
8.7%
(FY02) |
|
Disputes - international:
|
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; Israel continues construction of a "seam
line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line
and within the West Bank; Israel announced its intention
to pull out Israeli settlers and withdraw from the Gaza
Strip and four settlements in the northern West Bank in
2005; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims
the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights); since 1948,
about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision
Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in Jerusalem monitor
ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent
isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN
personnel in the region |
|
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
|
IDPs:
276,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in northern
Israel) (2004) |
|
Illicit drugs:
|
increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse;
drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly,
from Jordan; money-laundering center |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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