Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 74 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt | and Israel
18 fieldsLand useshare of 360 sq km
Environment-international agreements
- party to:
- none of the selected agreements
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
Geography-note
there are 24 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Gaza Strip (August 1997 est.)
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1998 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 52% (male 278,551; female 265,009)
- 15-64 years:
- 46% (male 241,420; female 238,857)
- 65 years and over:
- 2% (male 12,966; female 17,370) (July 1998 est.)
Sex ratio
- 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 (1998 est.)
Languages
Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Government
2 fieldsCountry name
- conventional long form:
- none
- conventional short form:
- Gaza Strip
- local long form:
- none
- local short form:
- Qita Ghazzah
Economy
Economic progress in the Gaza Strip has been | hampered by tight Israeli security restrictions.
28 fieldsEconomy-overview
Economic progress in the Gaza Strip has been hampered by tight Israeli security restrictions. In 1991 roughly 40% of Gaza Strip workers were employed across the border by Israeli industrial, construction, and agricultural enterprises, with worker remittances supplementing GDP by roughly 50%. Gaza has depended upon Israel for nearly 90% of its external trade.
The Persian Gulf crisis and its aftershocks have dealt blows to Gaza since August 1990. Worker remittances from the Gulf states have dropped, unemployment and popular unrest have increased, and living standards have fallen. The redeployment of Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip in May 1994 has added to the set of adjustment problems.
This series of disruptions has meant a sharp decline in employment in Israel since 1991 and a drop in GDP as a whole. An estimated 378,000 persons were in refugee camps in 1996.
Labor force
NA; by occupation: services 66%, industry 21%, agriculture 13% (1996) note: excluding Israeli settlers
Industries
- generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs;
- the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center
Exports
- total value:
- $630 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) (includes West Bank)
- commodities:
- citrus
- partners:
- Israel, Egypt, West Bank
Imports
- total value:
- $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.) (includes West Bank)
- commodities:
- food, consumer goods, construction materials
- partners:
- Israel, Egypt, West Bank
Exchange rates
new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1-3.5340 (December 1997), 3.4494 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994), 2.8301 (1993)
Transportation
6 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved only
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Airports
2 (1997 est.) note: includes new international airport that was scheduled to open in June 1997, but has been delayed due to political and security disagreements between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators
Military
NA
3 fieldsTransnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes-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 GEORGIA
Introduction
1 fieldCurrent issues
Beset by ethnic and civil strife since independence in 1991, Georgia began to stabilize in 1994. Separatist conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia have been dormant since spring 1994, although political settlements remain elusive. Russian peacekeepers are deployed in both regions and a UN Observer Mission is operating in Abkhazia.
As a result of these conflicts, Georgia still has about 250,000 internally displaced people. In 1995, Georgia adopted a new constitution and conducted generally free and fair nationwide presidential and parliamentary elections. In 1996, the government focused its attention to implementing an ambitious economic reform program and professionalizing its parliament.
Violence and organized crime were sharply curtailed in 1995 and 1996, but corruption remains rife. In 1997, SHEVARDNADZE succeeded in bringing international attention to the Abkhazia conflict. The UN sponsored two meetings on the subject, but a resolution is still far off. Georgia also took some steps in 1997 to reduce its dependence on Russia, acquiring coastal patrol boats it hopes to use to replace the current Russian border units on the Black Sea coast.
The year 1997 also saw a sharpening of rhetoric-especially from parliament-against Russia's continued military presence on Georgian territory.
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Gaza Strip.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/gaza-strip/1998.