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Gaza Strip: Environment
| Environment - current issues | desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation; depletion and contamination of underground water resources | | Environment - international agreements | droughts |
Gaza Strip: Land use / Resources
| Land use (%) | arable land: 28.95%
permanent crops: 21.05%
other: 50% (2001) | | Natural resources | arable land, natural gas |
Gaza Strip: Economy
| Economy - overview: | High population density, limited land access, and strict internal and external controls have kept economic conditions in the Gaza Strip - the smaller of the two areas under the Palestinian Authority - even more degraded than in the West Bank. The beginning of the second intifadah in September 2000 sparked an economic downturn, largely the result of Israeli closure policies; these policies, which were imposed in response to security interests in Israel, disrupted labor and commodity relationships with the Gaza Strip. In 2001, and even more severely in 2003, Israeli military measures in Palestinian Authority areas resulted in the destruction of much capital plant, the disruption of administrative structure, and widespread business closures. Including the West Bank, the UN estimates that more than 100,000 Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in Israel or in joint industrial zones have lost their jobs. Unemployment has continued at half the labor force. Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in September 2005 offers some medium-term opportunities for economic growth, especially given the removal of restrictions on internal movement. In addition, recent agreements and continuing negotiations on the administration of Gaza's border crossings increase the prospects for trade. | | GDP - per capita | $600 (2003 est.) | | GDP - real growth rate (%) | 4.5% (2003 est.) | | Agriculture - products | olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products | | GDP - composition by sector (%) | agriculture: 9%, industry: 28%, services: 63% (includes West Bank) (2002 est.) | | Industries | generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center, but operations ceased prior to Israel's evacuation of Gaza Strip settlements | | Economic aid - recipient | $2 billion (includes West Bank) (2004 est.) | | Debt - external | $0 (includes West Bank) (2002) | | Population below poverty line (%) | 81% (2004 est.) | | Labor force - by occupation (%) | agriculture 11.9%, industry 18%, services 70.1% (April-June 2005) |
Gaza Strip: Population / Demographics
| Population (July 2005) | 1,376,289 | | Population growth rate (%) (2005) | 3.77% | | Population density (people/sq km) (2005) | 3,823.0 | | Median age (years) | total: 15.65 years | | Total fertility rate (children born/woman) | 5.91 (2005 est.) | | Ethnic groups (%) | Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6% |
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Gaza Strip: Infrastructure
| Telephones - main lines in use | 95,729 (total for Gaza Strip and West Bank) (1997) | | Telephones - mobile cellular | 320,000 (cellular subscribers in both Gaza Strip and West Bank) (2002) | | Roadways (km) | note: see entry for West Bank |
Gaza Strip: Health
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | total population: 71.79 years
male: 70.5 years
female: 73.15 years (2005 est.) | | Infant mortality rate | 22.93 deaths/1,000 live births | | HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) | NA |
Gaza Strip
: References & Data Sources
 Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005
Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005) and the State of the World�s Forests (2005, 2003, 2001)
Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.
Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.
RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site
The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund
With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com
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