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Palestine
Country Overview
FACTBOOK
An overview of Palestine’s population,
economy, and government
COUNTY INFO CENTER
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FACTBOOK
Demographics
[July 2010 - CIA World Factbook]
Population
Total: West Bank - 2,514,845
Total: Gaza Strip - 1,604,238
Distribution
0-14 years
15-64 years
65 years and over
Urbanization
Urban Population
Rate of Urbanization
Poverty
Population Below
Poverty Line
Literacy Rate
Total Population
Male
Female
[CIA World Factbook]
36.5%
(Male 471,472/ Female 447,502)
59.8%
(Male 770,496/ Female 732,787)
3.7%
(Male 38,452/ Female 54,136)
[CIA World Factbook]
72.0% of total population [2008]
3.3% annual rate of change [2005 - 2010 estimates]
[CIA World Factbook]
46.0% [West Bank – 2007 estimate]
70.0% [Gaza Strip – 2009 estimate]
[2003- CIA World Factbook]
89.9%
95.1%
84.7%
Languages
Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English
(widely understood)
Wamda Country Profiles
PALESTINE
Country Overview
FACTBOOK
Economy
Industries and Exports
Key Industries
[2009 - CIA World Factbook]
small-scale manufacturing, quarrying, textiles,
soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl
souvenirs, food processing
Natural Resources
arable land, natural gas
Export Commodities
stone, olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone,
strawberries and carnations
Export Partners
Palestine has international trade agreements with
Israel, USA, the EU, and Canada, and EFTA countries
Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Norway.
It has also signed bilateral commercial agreements
with Jordan and Egypt and unilateral agreements
with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates,
Bahrain, Tunisia, and Morocco.
US$529.0 million [2008]
Exports
GDP
Per Capita
Country Rank
By Sector
Agriculture
Industry
Services
[2008 - CIA World Factbook]
$2,900.0
166
[2008 - CIA World Factbook]
5%
14%
81%
[2009 - CIA World Factbook]
Inflation Rate
4.10%
[2009 - CIA World Factbook]
Labor Force
Wamda Country Profiles
West Bank - 0.694 million
Gaza Strip – 0.339 million
PALESTINE
Country Overview
By Occupation
West Bank
Agriculture
Industry
Services
12.0%
23.0%
65.0%
Gaza
Agriculture
Industry
Services
12.0%
5.0%
83.0%
[2008 – CIA World Factbook]
[2009 – CIA World Factbook]
Unemployment Rate:
Wamda Country Profiles
23.6%
PALESTINE
Country Overview
FACTBOOK
Government
Overview
Government Type
Wamda Country Profiles
presidential, parliamentary democracy
Elections
The president of the Palestinian Authority as well as
members of the Palestinian Legislative Council are
directly elected.
Capital
Jerusalem (official); Ramallah (administrative)
Government Ministries
Official Website of the
Prime Minister
www.pmo.gov.ps
Finance
www.mof.gov.ps
Labor
www.mol.pna.ps
National Economy
www.met.gov.ps
Tourism & Antiquities
www.mota.gov.ps
PALESTINE
Country Overview
FACTBOOK
Travel
Information
Major Airports
The nearest operating airports include Queen Alia International Airport in
Amman, Jordan and Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv/ Yafo.
Visa Information
A two week tourist visa is available upon arrival. Palestine currently does not
have control over its ports of entry or exit; visas must be obtained from Israel.
Basic Information
Units of Measure
Time Zone
Metric
GMT+2 (Winter Timing),
GMT + 3 (Summer Timing)
Average Temperature (Jerusalem)
Summer
Winter
Average Rainfall (Jerusalem)
Summer
Winter
Country at a Glance
International Monetary Fund
Wamda Country Profiles
[BBC Weather Average Conditions]
30°C (86°F)
14°C (57°F)
[BBC Weather Average Conditions]
0 mm
117 mm
www.imf.org/external/country/wbg/rr/
index.htm
World Bank Country Information
www.worldbank.org/we
CIA World Factbook
West Bank
www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-factbook/geos/we.html
Gaza
www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-factbook/geos/gz.html
AMIDEAST
www.amideast.org/westbank/country_info.
htm
PALESTINE
Country Overview