West Bank

West Bank as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 55 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

Area5,860 km2

LocationMiddle East, between Jordan and Israel

Populationas each edition published it

1.4 million July 1993 est. · 1.06m in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.9% 1993 est. · 2.03% in 2025

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 17.9 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

69.93 years 1993 est. · 76.5 yrs in 2025

Fertility ratechildren per woman

4.37 children per woman 1993 est. · 5 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

35.4 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 48 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,200 1990 est. · $3,800 in 2025

GDP real growth% a year

-10% 1990 est. · -26.6% in 2025

Geography

Middle East, between Jordan and Israel

14 fields

Land useshare of 5,860 km2

arable land 27%permanent crops 0%meadows and pastures 32%forest and woodland 1%other 40%

Area

5,860km2

land area: 5,640 km2comparative area: slightly larger than Delawarenote: includes West Bank, East Jerusalem, Latrun Salient, Jerusalem No Man's Land, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus

Coastline

0km

(landlocked)Maritime claims: none; landlocked

Land boundaries

404km

total · Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km

Location

Middle East, between Jordan and Israel

Map references

Middle East

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

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

People

14 fields

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.)growth rate: 2.9% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth

33.78Death

5.32Net migration

0.52

Religions

Muslim 80% (predominantly Sunni)Jewish 12%Christian and other 8%

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%

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

Government

3 fields

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

Economy

18 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$1,200

(1990 est.)

Real growth rate

-10%

(1990 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 1% (1989); accounts for about 4% of GNP

Inflation, consumer prices

11%

(1991 est.)

Unemployment rate

15%

(1990 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$31.0 millionExpenditures

$36.1 million

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY88)

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.)

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

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

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)