:Israel Geography Total area: 20,770 km2 Land area: 20,330 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than New Jersey Land boundaries: 1,006 km; 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 Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank by the 1949 Armistice Line; differences with Jordan over the location of the 1949 Armistice Line that separates the two countries; 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: arable land 17%; permanent crops 5%; meadows and pastures 40%; forest and woodland 6%; other 32%; includes irrigated 11% Environment: sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; limited arable land and natural water resources pose serious constraints; deforestation Note: there are 175 Jewish settlements in the West Bank, 38 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 18 in the Gaza Strip, and 14 Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem :Israel People Population: 4,748,059 (July 1992), growth rate 4.0% (1992); includes 95,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, 14,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 4,000 in the Gaza Strip, and 132,000 in East Jerusalem (1992 est.) Birth rate: 21 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: 26 migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 76 years male, 80 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - Israeli(s); adjective - Israeli Ethnic divisions: Jewish 83%, non-Jewish (mostly Arab) 17% Religions: Judaism 82%, Islam (mostly Sunni Muslim) 14%, Christian 2%, Druze and other 2% Languages: Hebrew (official); Arabic used officially for Arab minority; English most commonly used foreign language Literacy: 92% (male 95%, female 89%) age 15 and over can read and write (1983) Labor force: 1,400,000 (1984 est.); public services 29.3%; industry, mining, and manufacturing 22.8%; commerce 12.8%; finance and business 9.5%; transport, storage, and communications 6.8%; construction and public works 6.5%; personal and other services 5.8%; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 5.5%; electricity and water 1.0% (1983) Organized labor: 90% of labor force :Israel 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 parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law Legal system: mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: Independence Day; Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May Executive branch: president, prime minister, vice prime minister, Cabinet Legislative branch: unicameral parliament (Knesset) Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State: President Chaim HERZOG (since 5 May 1983) Head of Government: Prime Minister Yitzhak SHAMIR (since 20 October 1986) Political parties and leaders: Israel currently has a coalition government comprising 12 parties that hold 66 of the Knesset's 120 seats; currently in state of flux; election held 23 June 1992 Members of the government: Likud bloc, Prime Minister Yitzhak SHAMIR; Sephardic Torah Guardians (SHAS), Minister of Interior Arieh DER'I; National Religious Party, Minister of Education Shulamit ALONI; Agudat Israel, Avraham SHAPIRA; Degel HaTorah, Avraham RAVITZ; Moriya, Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Yair TZABAN; Ge'ulat Israel, Eliezer MIZRAHI; New Liberal Party, Minister of Finance, Avraham SHOCHAT; Tehiya Party, Minister of Science Technology, Yuval NEEMAN; Tzomet Party Unity for Peace and Aliyah, Rafael EITAN; Moledet Party, Rehavam ZEEVI Opposition parties: Labor Party, Shimon PERES; Citizens' Rights Movement, Shulamit ALONI; United Workers' Party (MAPAM), Yair TZABAN; Center Movement-Shinui, Amnon RUBENSTEIN; New Israeli Communist Party (MAKI), Meir WILNER; Progressive List for Peace, Muhammad MI'ARI; Arab Democratic Party, `Abd Al Wahab DARAWSHAH; Black Panthers, Charlie BITON Suffrage: universal at age 18 :Israel Government Elections: President: last held 23 February 1988 (next to be held February 1994); results - Chaim HERZOG reelected by Knesset Knesset: last held June 1992 (next to be held by NA; results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (120 total) Labor Party 44, Likud bloc 12, SHAS 6, National Religious Party 6, Meretz 12, Agudat Yisrael 4, PAZI 3, MAKI 3, Tehiya Party 3, Tzomet Party 8, Moledet Party 3, Degel HaTorah 4, Center Movement Progressive List for Peace 1, Arab Democratic Party 2; Black Panthers 1, Moriya 1, Ge'ulat Yisrael 1, Unity for Peace and Aliyah 1 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: AG (observer), CCC, EBRD, FAO, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Zalman SHOVAL; Chancery at 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 364-5500; there are Israeli Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco US: Ambassador William HARROP; Embassy at 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv (mailing address is APO AE 09830; telephone [972] (3) 654338; FAX [972] (3) 663449; 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 :Israel Economy Overview: Israel has a market economy with substantial government participation. It depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years. Industry employs about 20% of Israeli workers, agriculture 5%, and services most of the rest. Diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are leading exports. Israel usually posts balance-of-payments deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's $17 billion external debt is owed to the United States, which is its major source of economic and military aid. To earn needed foreign exchange, Israel has been targeting high-technology niches in international markets, such as medical scanning equipment. Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 dealt a blow to Israel's economy. Higher world oil prices added an estimated $300 million to the oil import bill that year and helped keep annual inflation at 18%. Regional tension and the continuing Palestinian uprising (intifadah) have contributed to a sharp drop in tourism - a key foreign exchange earner - to the lowest level since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. The influx of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR, which topped 330,000 during the period 1990-91, will increase unemployment, intensify housing problems, widen the government budget deficit, and fuel inflation. GDP: purchasing power equivalent - $54.6 billion, per capita $12,000; real growth rate 5% (1991 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 18% (1991 est.) Unemployment rate: 11% (1991 est.) Budget: revenues $41.7 billion; expenditures $47.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92) Exports: $12.1 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: polished diamonds, citrus and other fruits, textiles and clothing, processed foods, fertilizer and chemical products, military hardware, electronics partners: US, EC, Japan, Hong Kong, Switzerland Imports: $18.1 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.) commodities: military equipment, rough diamonds, oil, chemicals, machinery, iron and steel, cereals, textiles, vehicles, ships, aircraft partners: US, EC, Switzerland, Japan, South Africa, Canada, Hong Kong External debt: $24 billion, of which government debt is $17 billion (December 1991 est.) Industrial production: growth rate - 7% (1991 est.); accounts for about 20% of GDP Electricity: 5,300,000 kWh capacity; 21,000 million kWh produced, 4,800 kWh per capita (1991) 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 :Israel Economy Agriculture: accounts for about 3% of GDP; largely self-sufficient in food production, except for grains; principal products - citrus and other fruits, vegetables, cotton; livestock products - beef, dairy, and poultry Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $18.2 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2.8 billion Currency: new Israeli shekel (plural - shekels); 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.4019 (March 1992), 2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946 (1987) Fiscal year: previously 1 April - 31 March; FY91 was 1 April - 31 December, and since 1 January 1992 the fiscal year has conformed to the calendar year :Israel Communications Railroads: 600 km 1.435-meter gauge, single track; diesel operated Highways: 4,750 km; majority is bituminous surfaced Pipelines: crude oil 708 km; petroleum products 290 km; natural gas 89 km Ports: Ashdod, Haifa Merchant marine: 34 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 629,966 GRT/721,106 DWT; includes 8 cargo, 23 container, 2 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off; note - Israel also maintains a significant flag of convenience fleet, which is normally at least as large as the Israeli flag fleet; the Israeli flag of convenience fleet typically includes all of its petroleum tankers Civil air: 32 major transport aircraft Airports: 51 total, 44 usable; 26 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 11 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: most highly developed in the Middle East although not the largest; good system of coaxial cable and radio relay; 1,800,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 14 AM, 21 FM, 20 TV; 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT :Israel Defense Forces Branches: Israel Defense Forces, including ground, naval, and air components; historically, there have been no separate Israeli military services Manpower availability: eligible 15-49, 2,357,195; of the 1,189,275 males 15-49, 977,332 are fit for military service; of the 1,167,920 females 15-49, 955,928 are fit for military service; 44,624 males and 42,705 females reach military age (18) annually; both sexes are liable for military service; Nahal or Pioneer Fighting Youth, Frontier Guard, Chen Defense expenditures: $7.5 billion, 12.1% of GNP (1992 budget); note - does not include pay for reserve soldiers and other defense-related categories; actual outlays would therefore be higher