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Population: 5,749,760 (July 1999 est.)
note: includes about 166,000 Israeli settlers in the West
Bank, about 19,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, about
6,000 in the Gaza Strip, and about 176,000 in East Jerusalem (August
1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 28% (male 822,192; female 783,905)
15-64 years: 62% (male 1,792,062; female 1,783,755)
65 years and over: 10% (male 244,438; female 323,408) (1999
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.81% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 19.83 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 6.16 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999
est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.78 deaths/1,000 live births (1999
est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.61 years
male: 76.71 years
female: 80.61 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.68 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Israeli(s)
adjective: Israeli
Ethnic groups: Jewish 80.1% (Europe/America-born 32.1%,
Israel-born 20.8%, Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish
19.9% (mostly Arab) (1996 est.)
Religions: Judaism 80.1%, Islam 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim),
Christian 2.1%, other 3.2% (1996 est.)
Languages: Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for
Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95%
male: 97%
female: 93% (1992 est.)
Country name:
conventional long form: State of Israel
conventional short form: Israel
local long form: Medinat Yisra'el
local short form: Yisra'el
Data code: IS
Government type: republic
Capital: Jerusalem
note: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as 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)
National holiday: Independence Day, 14 May 1948; note—Israel
declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is
lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ezer WEIZMAN (since 13 May 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU (since
18 June 1996)
cabinet: Cabinet selected from and approved by the Knesset
elections: president elected by the Knesset for a five-year
term; election last held 4 March 1998 (next to be held NA March
2003); prime minister elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 29 May 1996 (early elections are scheduled for
17 May 1999); note—in March 1992, the Knesset approved legislation,
effective in 1996, which allowed for the direct election of the
prime minister; under the new law, each voter casts two ballots—one
for the direct election of the prime minister and one for the party
in the Knesset; the candidate that receives the largest percentage
of the popular vote then works to form a coalition with other parties
to achieve a parliamentary majority of 61 seats; finally, the candidate
must submit his or her cabinet to the Knesset for approval and this
must be done within 45 days of the election; in contrast to the
old system, under the new law, the prime minister's party need not
be the single-largest party in the Knesset
election results: Ezer WEIZMAN reelected president by the
Knesset with a total of 63 votes, other candidate, Shaul AMOR, received
49 votes (there were seven abstentions and one absence); Binyamin
NETANYAHU elected prime minister; percent of vote—Binyamin
NETANYAHU 50.4%, Shimon PERES 49.5%
Legislative branch: unicameral Knesset or parliament (120
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 29 May 1996 (early elections are scheduled
for 17 May 1999)
election results: percent of vote by party—NA; seats
by party—Labor Party 34, Likud Party 32, SHAS 10, MERETZ 9,
National Religious Party 9, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya 7, Hadash-Balad 5,
Third Way 4, United Arab List 4, United Jewish Torah 4, Moledet
2; note—Likud, Tzomet, and Gesher candidates ran on a joint
list
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, appointed for life by
the president
Political parties and leaders:
government coalition: Likud Party [Prime Minister Binyamin
NETANYAHU]; Tzomet [ Rafael EITAN]; SHAS [Arieh DERI]; National
Religious Party [Yitzhak LEVI]; Yisra'el Ba'Aliya [Natan SHARANSKY];
United Jewish Torah [Meir PORUSH]; Third Way [Avigdor KAHALANI]
opposition: Labor Party [Ehud BARAK]; MERETZ [Yossi SARID];
United Arab List [Abd al-Malik DAHAMSHAH]; Hadash-Balad [Hashim
MAHAMID]
other: Moledet [Rehavam ZEEVI]; Gesher [David LEVI]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Gush Emunim, Israeli
nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza
Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank
and is critical of government's Lebanon policy
International organization participation: BSEC (observer),
CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE
(partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Zalman SHOVAL
chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-5500
FAX: [1] (202) 364-5610
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston,
Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Edward S. WALKER, Jr.
embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv
mailing address: PSC 98, Unit 7228, APO AE 09830
telephone: [972] (3) 519-7575
FAX: [972] (3) 517-3227
consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note—an independent
US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited
to a foreign government
Flag description: 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
Economy—overview: Israel has a technologically advanced
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.
Manufacturing and construction employ about 28% of Israeli workers;
agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6%; and services the rest.
Israel is largely self-sufficient in food production except for
grains. Diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products
(fruits and vegetables) are leading exports. Israel usually posts
sizable current account deficits, which are covered by large transfer
payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's
external debt is owed to the US, which is its major source of economic
and military aid. The influx of Jewish immigrants from the former
USSR topped 750,000 during the period 1989-98, bringing the population
of Israel from the former Soviet Union to one million, one-sixth
of the total population and adding scientific and professional expertise
of substantial value for the economy's future. The influx, coupled
with the opening of new markets at the end of the Cold War, energized
Israel's economy, which grew rapidly in the early 1990s. But growth
began slowing in 1996 when the government imposed tighter fiscal
and monetary policies and the immigration bonus petered out.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$101.9 billion (1998
est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 1.9% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$18,100
(1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 17%
services: 81% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 26.9% (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.4% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 2.3 million (1997)
Labor force—by occupation: public services 31.2%,
manufacturing 20.2%, finance and business 13.1%, commerce 12.8%,
construction 7.5%, personal and other services 6.4%, transport,
storage, and communications 6.2%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing
2.6% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 8.7% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $55 billion
expenditures: $58 billion, including capital expenditures
of $NA (1998 est.)
Industries: food processing, diamond cutting and polishing,
textiles and apparel, chemicals, metal products, military equipment,
transport equipment, electrical equipment, potash mining, high-technology
electronics, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 5.4% (1996)
Electricity—production: 28.035 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.88%
hydro: 0.12%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 27.725 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 310 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: citrus, vegetables, cotton;
beef, poultry, dairy products
Exports: $22.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports—commodities: machinery and equipment, cut
diamonds, chemicals, textiles and apparel, agricultural products,
metals
Exports—partners: US 32%, UK, Hong Kong, Benelux,
Japan, Netherlands (1997)
Imports: $26.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports—commodities: raw materials, military equipment,
investment goods, rough diamonds, oil, consumer goods
Imports—partners: US 19%, Benelux 12%, Germany 9%,
UK 8%, Italy 7%, Switzerland 6% (1997)
Debt—external: $18.7 billion (1997)
Economic aid—recipient: $1.241 billion (1994); note—$1.2
billion from the US (1997)
Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1—4.2269
(November 1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111
(1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
Telephones: 2.6 million (1996)
Telephone system: most highly developed system in the
Middle East although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio
relay
international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations—3
Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 45, shortwave 0
Radios: 2.25 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 24 (in addition, there
are 31 low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 1.5 million (1993 est.)
Railways:
total: 610 km
standard gauge: 610 km 1.435-m gauge (1996)
Highways:
total: 15,464 km
paved: 15,464 km (including 56 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1997 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 708 km; petroleum products 290 km;
natural gas 89 km
Ports and harbors: Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera,
Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo
Merchant marine:
total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 736,419 GRT/855,497
DWT
ships by type: cargo 1, container 21, roll-on/roll-off cargo
1 (1998 est.)
Airports: 54 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways:
total: 31
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 7 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 18 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1998 est.)
Military branches: Israel Defense Forces (includes ground,
naval, and air components), Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal), Frontier
Guard, Chen (women); note—historically there have been no separate
Israeli military services
Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower—availability:
males age 15-49: 1,474,046
females age 15-49: 1,439,569 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,206,320
females age 15-49: 1,173,818 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—reaching military age annually:
males: 50,737
females: 48,546 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $8.7 billion
(1999)
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 9.5% (1999)
Disputes—international: West Bank and Gaza Strip
are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian
Interim Agreement—permanent status to be determined through
further negotiation; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied; Israeli
troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982
Illicit drugs: increasingly concerned about cocaine and
heroin abuse; drugs primarily arrive in country from Lebanon
Source: 1999 CIA World Factbook
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