ISRAEL

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Map:

Location:

• Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon

Area—comparative:

• slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:

• total: 1,006 km
• border countries: Egypt 255 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km

Coastline:

• 273 km

Maritime claims:

• continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
• territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate:

• temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

Terrain:

• Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley

Environment—current issues:

• 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

Environment—international agreements:

• party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
• signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography—note:

• there are 207 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 24 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 1997 est.)

Area, Climate and Environment Statistics from Israeli Government

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Population:

• 5,938,093 (July 2001 est.)
• note: includes about 176,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, about 6,900 in the Gaza Strip, and about 173,000 in East Jerusalem (August 2000 est.)

Net migration rate:

• 2.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

• 7.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

• total population: 78.71 years
• male: 76.69 years
• female: 80.84 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:

• 2.57 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Nationality:

• noun: Israeli(s)
• adjective: Israeli

Ethnic groups:

• 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.)

Religions:

• Jewish 80.1%, Muslim 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian 2.1%, other 3.2% (1996 est.)

Languages:

• Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language

Literacy:

• definition: age 15 and over can read and write
• total population: 95%
• male: 97%
• female: 93% (1992 est.)

Population Statistics from Government of Israel

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Economy—overview:

• 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 is largely self-sufficient in food production except for grains. Cuts 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 influx of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR topped 750,000 during the period 1989-99, bringing the population of Israel from the former Soviet Union to 1 million, one-sixth of the total population, and adding scientific and professional expertise of substantial value for the economy's future. The influx, coupled with the opening of new markets at the end of the Cold War, energized Israel's economy, which grew rapidly in the early 1990s. But growth began moderating in 1996 when the government imposed tighter fiscal and monetary policies and the immigration bonus petered out. Growth was a strong 5.9% in 2000. But the outbreak of Palestinian unrest in late September and the collapse of the BARAK Government - coupled with a cooling off in the high-technology and tourist sectors - undercut the boom and foreshadows a slowdown to 2%-3% in 2001.

GDP:

• purchasing power parity: $110.2 billion (2000 est.)
• real growth rate: 5.9% (2000 est.)
• per capita: purchasing power parity—$18,900 (2000 est.)
• composition by sector: agriculture: 4%, industry: 37%, services: 59% (1999 est.)

Inflation rate—consumer price index:

• 0.1% (2000 est.)

Labor force:

• total: 2.4 million (2000)
• by occupation: public services 31.3%, manufacturing 20.2%, finance and business 13.1%, commerce 12.8%, construction 7.5%, personal and other services 6.4%, transport, storage, and communications 6.2%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6% (1996)

Unemployment rate:

• 9% (2000 est.)

Budget:

• revenues: $40 billion
• expenditures: $42.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Industries:

• food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, textiles and apparel, chemicals, metal products, military equipment, transport equipment, electrical equipment, potash mining, high-technology electronics, tourism

Exports:

• total value: $31.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
• commodities: machinery and equipment, cut diamonds, chemicals, textiles and apparel, agricultural products, metals
• partners: US 36%, UK 6%, Benelux 5%, Hong Kong 4%, Netherlands 4% (1999)

Israel Export Institute

Imports:

• total value: $35.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
• commodities: military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, oil, consumer goods
• partners: US 20%, Benelux 11%, Germany 8%, UK 8%, Switzerland 6%, Italy 5% (1999)

Debt—external:

• $38 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid:

• recipient: $1.1 billion from the US (1999)

Currency:

• 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot

Exchange rates:

• new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1—4.0810 (December 2000), 4.0773 (2000), 4.1397 (1999), 3.8001 (1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996)

Statistical Abstract of Israel

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Military branches:

• Israel Defense Forces (includes ground, naval, and air components), Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal), Frontier Guard, Chen (women); note—historically there have been no separate Israeli military services

Military manpower—military age:

• 18 years of age

Military manpower—availability:

• males age 15-49: 1,522,003 
• females age 15-49: 1,482,027 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures—dollar figure:

• $8.7 billion (FY99)

Military expenditures—percent of GDP:

• 9.4% (FY99)

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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 • Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982

Illicit drugs:

• increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse and trafficking