ace treaty.
@Israel, Geography
Location:
Middle East, bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt
and Lebanon
Map references:
Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
20,770 sq km
land area:
20,330 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
total 1,006 km, Egypt 255 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon
79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km
Coastline:
273 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
to depth of exploitation
territorial sea:
12 nm
International 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; the Gaza Strip and Jericho,
formerly occupied by Israel, are now administered by the Palestinian
Authority; other areas of the West Bank outside Jericho are Israeli
occupied; Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; Israeli troops in
southern Lebanon since June 1982; water-sharing issues with Jordan
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
Land use:
arable land:
17%
permanent crops:
5%
meadows and pastures:
40%
forest and woodland:
6%
other:
32%
Irrigated land:
2,140 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
limited arable land and freshwater resources pose serious constraints;
deforestation; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions;
groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical
fertilizers, and pesticides
natural hazards:
sandstorms may occur during spring and summer
international agreements:
party to - Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Climate
Change, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation
Note:
there are 200 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the
West Bank, 40 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 24 in the Gaza
Strip, and 25 in East Jerusalem (April 1994)
@Israel, People
Population:
5,050,850 (July 1994 est.)
note:
includes 110,500 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, 14,000 in the
Israeli-occu
|