West Bank
West Bank as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 85 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Middle East, between Jordan and Israel
23 fieldstotal area
5,860 sq km
land area
5,640 sq km
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
International disputes
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli occupied with interim status subject to Israeli/Palestinian negotiations - final status to be determined
Climate
temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
arable land
27%
permanent crops
0%
meadows and pastures
32%
forest and woodland
1%
other
40%
current issues
NA
natural hazards
NA
international agreements
NA
Note
- landlocked;
- highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers;
- there are 200 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank and 25 in East Jerusalem (April 1994)
People
22 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1994 est.)
note
in addition, there are 110,500 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 144,100 in East Jerusalem (1994 est.)
total population
70.39 years
male
68.88 years
female
71.98 years (1994 est.)
noun
NA
adjective
NA
total population
NA%
male
NA%
female
NA%
by occupation
construction 28.2%, agriculture 21.8%, industry 14.5%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 12.6%, other services 22.9% (1991)
note
excluding Jewish settlers
Government
4 fieldsNote
Under the Israeli-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arragements ("the DOP"), Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, and subsequently to an elected Palestinian Council, as part of interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho has taken place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external security and for internal security and public order of settlements and Israelis. Final status is to be determined through direct negotiations within five years.
conventional long form
none
conventional short form
West Bank
Economy
Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by Israeli | military administration and the effects of the Palestinian uprising | (intifadah).
23 fieldsOverview
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 Palestinian firms to compete with Israeli industry. A major share of GNP has traditionally been derived from remittances of workers employed in Israel and Persian Gulf states.
Such transfers from the Gulf dropped 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 dropped because of the decline of markets in Jordan and the Gulf states.
Israeli measures to curtail the intifadah also have added to unemployment and lowered living standards. The area's economic situation has worsened since Israel's partial closure of the territories in 1993.
revenues
$43.4 million
expenditures
$43.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90)
commodities
olives, fruit, vegetables
partners
Jordan, Israel
commodities
food, consumer goods, construction materials
partners
Jordan, 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 23% of GNP; olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, and dairy products
Exchange rates
- new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.9760 (February 1994), 2.8301 (1993), 2.4591 (1992), 2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989);
- Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 - 0.7019 (February 1994), 0.6928 (1993), 0.6797 (1992), 0.6808 (1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704 (1989)
Communications
11 fieldstotal
NA
paved
NA
unpaved
NA
note
small road network, Israelis developing east-west axial highways to service new settlements
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
Defense Forces
NA
2 fieldsCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “West Bank.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/west-bank/1994.