Multimedia Mania/abacus-multimedia-mania.iso/dp/0025/00252.txt

Text File | 1993-07-27 | 14KB | 335 lines

$Unique_ID{bob00252}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Israel
Statistical Profile of Israel}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Central Intelligence Agency}
$Affiliation{United States Government}
$Subject{israel
party
seats
military
km
israeli
rate
bank
billion
government
hear
audio
hear
sound
see
pictures
see
figures
}
$Date{1990}
$Log{Hear National Anthem*59205010.aud
See Map of Israel*0025201.scf
See Flag of Israel*0025202.scf
}
Title:       Israel
Book:        CIA World Factbook
Author:      Central Intelligence Agency
Affiliation: United States Government
Date:        1990


[Hear National Anthem]

[See Map of Israel]

[See Flag of Israel]

Statistical Profile of Israel

Note: The Arab territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not
included in the data below. As stated in the 1978 Camp David Accords and
reaffirmed by President Reagan's 1 September 1982 peace initiative, the final
status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, their relationship with their
neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan are to be negotiated
among the concerned parties. The Camp David Accords further specify that these
negotiations will resolve the location of the respective boundaries. Pending
the completion of this process, it is US policy that the final status of the
West Bank and Gaza Strip has yet to be determined. On 25 April 1982 Israel
relinquished control of the Sinai to Egypt. Statistics for the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are included in the Syria entry.

Geography

Total area: 20,770 km2; land area: 20,330 km2

Comparative area: slightly larger than New Jersey

Land boundaries: 1,006 km total; Egypt 255 km, Jordan 238 km,
Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307, Gaza Strip 51 km

Coastline: 273 km

Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Territorial sea: 6 nm

Disputes: separated from Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank by the
1949 Armistice Line; West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli occupied with status
to be determined; Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; Israeli troops in southern
Lebanon since June 1982; water-sharing issues with Jordan

Climate: temperate; hot and dry in desert areas

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

Natural resources: copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand,
sulfur, asphalt, manganese, small amounts of natural gas and crude oil

Land use: 17% arable land; 5% permanent crops; 40% meadows and pastures;
6% forest and woodland; 32% other; includes 11% irrigated

Environment: sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; limited arable
land and natural water resources pose serious constraints; deforestation;

Note: there are 171 Israeli settlements in the West Bank, 35 in the Golan
Heights, 17 in the Gaza Strip, and 14 Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in
East Jerusalem

People

Population: 4,371,478 (July 1989), growth rate 1.7% (1989); includes
65,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, 10,500 in the Golan Heights,
2,500 in the Gaza Strip, and 104,000 (est.) in East Jerusalem

Birth rate: 22 births/1,000 population (1989)

Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1989)

Net migration rate: 2 migrants/1,000 population (1989)

Infant mortality rate: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (July 1989)

Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 79 years female (July 1989)

Total fertility rate: 3.0 children born/woman (1989)

Nationality: noun--Israeli(s); adjective--Israeli

Ethnic divisions: 83% Jewish, 17% non-Jewish (mostly Arab)

Religion: 83% Judaism, 13.1% Islam (mostly Sunni Muslim), 2.3% Christian,
1.6% Druze

Language: Hebrew (official); Arabic used officially for Arab minority;
English most commonly used foreign language

Literacy: 88% Jews, 70% Arabs

Labor force: 1,400,000 (1984 est.); 29.5% public services; 22.8% industry,
mining, and manufacturing; 12.8% commerce; 9.5% finance and business;
6.8% transport, storage, and communications; 6.5% construction and public works;
5.5% agriculture, forestry, and fishing; 5.8% personal and other services;
1.0% electricity and water (1983)

Organized labor: 90% of labor force

Government

Long-form name: State of Israel

Type: republic

Capital: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem its capital in 1950, but the US, like
nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv

Administrative divisions: 6 districts (mehozot, singular--mehoz); Central,
Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

Independence: 14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British
administration)

Constitution: no formal constitution; some of the functions of a
constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the basic
laws of the Knesset (legislature)--relating to the Knesset, Israeli lands,
the president, the government--and the Israel citizenship law

Legal system: mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and,
in personal area, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; commercial
matters regulated substantially by codes adopted since 1948; no judicial
review of legislative acts; in December 1985 Israel informed the UN
Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: Independence Day, 10 May 1989; Israel declared
independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday
may occur in April or May

Branches: president has largely ceremonial functions, except for the
authority to choose a political leader to form a ruling coalition (this
can occur after an election or the fall of a government); executive power
vested in Cabinet; unicameral parliament (Knesset) of 120 members elected under
a system of proportional representation; legislation provides fundamental laws
in absence of a written constitution; two distinct court systems
(secular and religious)

Leaders:
Chief of State President Gen. Chaim HERZOG (since 5 May 1983);
Head of Government Prime Minister Yitzhak SHAMIR (since 20 October 1986);
Vice Prime Minister Shimon PERES (President from 13 September 1984 to
20 October 1986, when he rotated to Vice Prime Minister)

Suffrage: universal over age 18

Elections: held every four years unless required by dissolution of
Knesset; last election held in November 1988; next election must be held by
November 1992

Political parties and leaders: Israel currently has a national unity
government comprising five parties that hold 95 of the Knesset's 120 seats;
members of the unity government--Likud bloc, Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir;
Labor Party, Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister Shimon Peres;
Sephardic Torah Guardians (SHAS), Minister of Immigrant Absorption Yitzhak
Peretz; National Religious Party, Minister of Religious Affairs Zevulun Hammer;
Agudat Yisrael, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Welfare Moshe Zeev Feldman;
opposition parties--Tehiya Party, Yuval Ne'eman; Tzomet Party, Rafael Eytan;
Moledet Party, Rehavam Ze'evi; Degel HaTorah, Avraham Ravitz; Citizens' Rights
Movement, Shulamit Aloni; United Workers' Party (MAPAM), Yair Tzaban; Center
Movement-Shinui, Amnon Rubenstein; New Communist Party of Israel (RAKAH),
Meir Wilner; Progressive List for Peace, Muhammad Mi'ari; Arab Democratic
Party, Abd Al Wahab Darawshah

Voting strength: Likud bloc, 40 seats; Labor Party, 39 seats;
SHAS, 6 seats; National Religious Party, 5 seats; Agudat Yisrael, 5 seats;
Citizens' Rights Movement, 5 seats; RAKAH, 4 seats; Tehiya Party, 3 seats;
MAPAM, 3 seats; Tzomet Party, 2 seats; Moledet Party, 2 seats; Degel HaTorah,
2 seats; Center Movement-Shinui, 2 seats; Progressive List for Peace,
1 seat; Arab Democratic Party, 1 seat

Communists: Hadash (predominantly Arab but with Jews in its leadership)
has some 1,500 members

Other political or pressure groups: Gush Emunim, Jewish nationalists
advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now,
critical of government's West Bank/Gaza Strip and Lebanon policies

Member of: CCC, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA,
IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOOC, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, OAS (observer), UN,
UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Moshe ARAD; Chancery at
3514 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone [phone];
there are Israeli Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston,
Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco;
US--Ambassador William A. BROWN; Embassy at 71 Hayarkon Street,
Tel Aviv (mailing address is APO New York 09672); telephone [972] (3) 654338;
there is a US Consulate General in Jerusalem

Flag: 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

Economy

Overview: Israel has a market economy with substantial government
participation. It depends on imports for crude oil, food, grains, raw materials,
and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has developed
its agriculture and industry sectors on an intensive scale over the past 20
years. This policy has transformed the economy into that of a modern
industrial and service-oriented state. Industry accounts for about 23% of the
labor force, agriculture for 6%, and services for most of the balance. Diamonds,
high-technology machinery, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are
the biggest export earners. The balance of payments has traditionally been
negative, but is offset by large transfer payments and foreign loans.
In September 1988 nearly two-thirds of Israel's $16 billion external debt was
owed to the US, which is its major source for economic and military aid.
In order to earn needed foreign exchange, Israel must continue to exploit
high-technology niches in the international market, such as medical scanning
equipment. In 1987 the economy showed a 5.2% growth in real GNP, the best gain
in nearly a decade; in 1988 the gain was only 1%, largely due to the economic
impact of the Palestinian uprising (intifada). Inflation dropped from an
annual rate of over 400% in 1984 to about 16% in 1987-88, without any major
increase in unemployment.

GNP: $36 billion, per capita $8,400; real growth rate 1% (1988)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 16% (1988)

Unemployment rate: 8% (March 1989)

Budget: revenues $23.5 billion; expenditures $23.3 billion, including
capital expenditures of NA (FY87)

Exports: $9.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--polished
diamonds, citrus and other fruits, textiles and clothing, processed foods,
fertilizer and chemical products, military hardware, electronics;
partners--US, UK, FRG, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy

Imports: $12.9 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--military
equipment, rough diamonds, oil, chemicals, machinery, iron and steel, cereals,
textiles, vehicles, ships, aircraft; partners--US, FRG, UK, Switzerland,
Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg

External debt: $16 billion (September 1988)

Industrial production: growth rate - 3% (1988)

Electricity: 4,192,000 kW capacity; 17,317 million kWh produced,
4,030 kWh per capita (1988)

Industries: food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, textiles,
clothing, chemicals, metal products, military equipment, transport equipment,
electrical equipment, miscellaneous machinery, potash mining, high-technology
electronics, tourism

Agriculture: citrus and other fruits, vegetables, cotton, beef and dairy
products, poultry products; a world leader in irrigation techniques

Aid: recipient--of which, $3.6 billion annually in US official military
and economic aid

Currency: new Israeli shekel (plural--shekels);
1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot

Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US $1--1.8157 (January 1989),
1.5992 (1988), 1.5946 (1987), 1.4878 (1986), 1.1788 (1985)

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

Communications

Railroads: 594 km 1.435-meter gauge, single track; diesel operated

Highways: 4,500 km; majority is bituminous surfaced

Pipelines: crude oil, 708 km; refined products, 290 km; natural gas, 89 km

Ports: Ashdod, Haifa, Elat

Merchant marine: 39 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 527,353
GRT/632,389 DWT; includes 12 cargo, 21 container, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo,
2 refrigerated cargo, 1 bulk, 1 combination bulk

Civil air: 27 major transport aircraft

Airports: 55 total, 52 usable; 27 with permanent-surface runways; 6 with
runways 2,440-3,659 m; 11 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: most highly developed in the Middle East though not
the largest; good system of coaxial cable and radio relay; 1,800,000 telephones;
stations--11 AM, 24 FM, 54 TV; 2 submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
stations; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT station

Defense Forces

Branches: Israel Defense Forces; historically there have been no separate
Israeli military services; ground, air, and naval components are branches of
Israel Defense Forces

Military manpower: eligible 15-49, 2,122,778; of the 1,069,588 males
15-49, 883,268 are fit for military service; of the 1,053,190 females 15-49,
866,402 are fit for military service; 43,192 males and 41,142 females reach
military age (18) annually; both sexes are liable for military service

Military budget: $5.2 billion, 17.7% of central government budget
(FY89)