*West Bank, Geography Location: Middle East, between Jordan and Israel Map references: Middle East Area: total area: 5,860 km2 land area: 5,640 km2 comparative area: slightly larger than Delaware note: includes West Bank, East Jerusalem, Latrun Salient, Jerusalem No Man's Land, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus Land boundaries: total 404 km, Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none; landlocked International disputes: Israeli occupied with status to be determined 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 Natural resources: negligible Land use: arable land: 27% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 32% forest and woodland: 1% other: 40% Irrigated land: NA km2 Environment: highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers Note: landlocked; there are 175 Jewish settlements in the West Bank and 14 Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem *West Bank, People Population: 1,404,114 (July 1993 est.) note: in addition, there are 102,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 134,000 in East Jerusalem (1993 est.) Population growth rate: 2.9% (1993 est.) Birth rate: 33.78 births/1,000 population (1993 est.) Death rate: 5.32 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.) Net migration rate: 0.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.) Infant mortality rate: 35.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.93 years male: 68.48 years female: 71.46 years (1993 est.) Total fertility rate: 4.37 children born/woman (1993 est.) Nationality: noun: NA adjective: NA Ethnic divisions: Palestinian Arab and other 88%, Jewish 12% Religions: Muslim 80% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 12%, Christian and other 8% Languages: Arabic, Hebrew spoken by Israeli settlers, English widely understood Literacy: total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% Labor force: NA by occupation: small industry, commerce, and business 29.8%, construction 24.2%, agriculture 22.4%, service and other 23.6% (1984) note: excluding Israeli Jewish settlers *West Bank, Government Note: The West Bank is currently governed by Israeli military authorities and Israeli civil administration. It is US policy that the final status of the West Bank will be determined by negotiations among the concerned parties. These negotiations will determine how the area is to be governed. Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: West Bank Digraph: WG *West Bank, Economy Overview: Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by Israeli military administration and the effects of the Palestinian uprising (intifadah). Industries using advanced technology or requiring sizable investment have been discouraged by a lack of local capital and restrictive Israeli policies. Capital investment consists largely of residential housing, not productive assets that would enable local firms to compete with Israeli industry. A major share of GNP is derived from remittances of workers employed in Israel and Persian Gulf states, but such transfers from the Gulf dropped dramatically after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. In the wake of the Persian Gulf crisis, many Palestinians have returned to the West Bank, increasing unemployment, and export revenues have plunged because of the loss of markets in Jordan and the Gulf states. Israeli measures to curtail the intifadah also have pushed unemployment up and lowered living standards. The area's economic outlook remains bleak. National product: GNP - exchange rate conversion - $1.3 billion (1990 est.) National product real growth rate: -10% (1990 est.) National product per capita: $1,200 (1990 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11% (1991 est.) Unemployment rate: 15% (1990 est.) Budget: revenues $31.0 million; expenditures $36.1 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY88) Exports: $150 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.) commodities: NA partners: Jordan, Israel Imports: $410 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.) commodities: NA partners: Jordan, Israel External debt: $NA Industrial production: growth rate 1% (1989); accounts for about 4% of GNP 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 the settlements and industrial centers Agriculture: accounts for about 15% of GNP; olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, and dairy products Economic aid: NA Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot; 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils *West Bank, Economy Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.6480 (November 1992), 2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946 (1987); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 - 0.6890 (January 1993), 0.6797 (1992), 0.6808 (1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3709 (1988) Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992) *West Bank, Communications Highways: small road network, Israelis developing east-west axial highways to service new settlements Airports: total: 2 usable: 2 with permanent-surface runways: 2 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 0 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 1 Telecommunications: open-wire telephone system currently being upgraded; broadcast stations - no AM, no FM, no TV *West Bank, Defense Forces Branches: NA Manpower availability: males age 15-49 NA; fit for military service NA Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP