The biography of the late Yasser Arafat (Abou Ammar)

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Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon

Geographic coordinates: 31 30 N, 34 45 E

Map references: Middle East

Area:
total: 21,130 sq km
land: 20,690 sq km
water: 440 sq km

Land boundaries:
border countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

Coastline: 273 km

Climate: temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern 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

Natural hazards: sandstorms, heavy winter, earthquakes are rare.

Environment—current issues: Limited fresh water resources, air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides.

Environment—international agreements:
None, due to occupation.

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Population: 2,485,652 (Live in occupied Palestine)
note: in addition, there are 1,900,695 Palestinians live worldwide (December 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.)

Population growth rate: 6.4% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 49.07 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 4 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 18.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (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.)

Infant mortality rate: 24.45 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.95 years
male: 71.56 years
female: 74.4 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 7.57 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Palestine
adjective: Palestine'

Ethnic groups before occupation: Arab Muslim 94%,  Arab Christian 4%, Arab Jewish 2%

Ethnic groups after 50 years of occupation: Jewish 79% (Israel-born 43%, Europe/Americas/Oceania-born 24%, Africa-born 7%, Asia-born 5%), non-Jewish 21% (mostly Arab) (1998 est.)

Religions before occupation: Muslim 94%, Christian 4%, Jewish 2%

Religions after 50 years of occupation: Jewish 79%, Muslim 18%, Christian 2% others 1%.

Languages before occupation: Arabic, "official" (Hebrew spoken by Arab Jewish minority) 

Languages after 50 years of occupation: Hebrew "official" (Arabic spoken by Arab minority) English most commonly used foreign language

Literacy:

The Palestinians are very smart and intelligent people. Due to the tragic Israeli occupation of their land, they are well versed in world affairs. The United Nation's program for refugee education subsidize most of their education cost.

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95%
male: 97%
female: 92% (1998 est.)

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Country name:  Palestine

Note: The Palestinian government is literally paralyzed by the Israeli Occupation
conventional long form: Palestine
conventional short form: Palestine
local long form: Dawlat Palestine Al-Arabia
local short form: Dawlat Palestine

Data code: PA

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Economy—overview: Economic progress in Palestine has been hampered by tight Israeli security restrictions. In 1991 roughly 40% of able workers were employed in the occupied main land by Israeli industrial, construction, and agricultural enterprises, with worker remittances supplementing GDP by roughly 50%. Liberated Gaza has depended upon the occupier "Israel" for nearly 90% of its external trade. The Iraq war II, the current Intifada, house demolishing, and the Israeli regular closures of check points, all have dealt major blows the Palestinian economy. Unemployment and popular unrest have increased, and living standards have fallen. The redeployment of Israeli forces in the West Bank and Gaza added to the economical problem as thousands of Palestinians live under the poverty line in refugee camps. The Palestininas refugee camps are the result of their displacement (by European Jews) from their homeland in the mainland.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$1 billion (1996 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: -6.9% (1996 est.)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$1,100 (1996 est.)

GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 33%
industry: 25%
services: 42% (1995 est., includes West Bank)

Labor force: NA
by occupation: services 66%, industry 21%, agriculture 13% (1996)
note: excluding Israeli settlers

Unemployment rate: 28% (1997 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $684 million
expenditures: $779 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996)
note: includes West Bank

Industries: generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs.

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity—capacity: NA kW
note: electricity supplied by Israel

Electricity—production: NA kWh "Paralyzed by the Israeli occupation"
note: electricity supplied by Israel

Electricity—consumption per capita: NA kWh

Agriculture—products: olives, citrus, other fruits, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Exports:
total value: $630 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) (includes West Bank)
commodities: citrus

Imports:
total value: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.) (includes West Bank)
commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials

Debt—external: $NA (Mostly donations from the International Community received by the newly established Palestinian Authority headed by Mr. Yasser Arafat).

Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA

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Telephones: NA
note: 3.1% of Palestinian households have telephones

Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios: NA; note—98% of Palestinian households have radios (1998 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 1 station operated by the Palestinian Authority

Televisions: NA; note—89% of Palestinian households have televisions (1997 est.)

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Railways:
total: 610 km
standard gauge: 610 km 1.435-m gauge (1996)

Highways:
total: 15,065 km
paved: 15,065 km (including 56 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1996)

Pipelines: crude oil 708 km; petroleum products 290 km; natural gas 89 km

Ports and harbors: Ports and harbors currently occupied and under Israeli control: Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo

Merchant marine:
total: 27 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 803,383 GRT/947,678 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, container 24, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1997 est.)

Airports: 54 (1997 est.)

Airports—with paved runways: Occupied, built, newly rebuilt and under Israeli control
total: 31

Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 23

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Military branches: NA "paralyzed by the Israeli occupation"

Military expenditures—dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures—percent of GDP: NA%

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Disputes—international: Palestine is an Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement.

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