4,850 km total; 4,760 km 1.432-meter gauge, 92 km 1.676-meter gauge; 480 km
under construction from Bafq to Bandar Abbas, rail construction from Bafq to
Sirjan has been completed and is operational
Highways:
140,072 km total; 42,694 km paved surfaces; 46,866 km gravel and crushed
stone; 49,440 km improved earth; 1,200 km (est.) rural road network
Inland waterways:
904 km; the Shatt-al-Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about
130 km, but closed since September 1980 because of Iran-Iraq war
Pipelines:
crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas 4,550 km
Ports:
Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war), Bandar Beheshti,
Bandar-e Abbas, Bandar-e Bushehr, Bandar-e Khomeyni, Bandar-e Shahid Raja,
Khorramshahr (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war)
Merchant marine:
134 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,466,395 GRT/8,329,760 DWT; includes
38 cargo, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 32 oil tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 3
refrigerated cargo, 47 bulk, 2 combination bulk, 1 liquefied gas
Civil air:
48 major transport aircraft
Airports:
214 total, 188 usable; 81 with permanent-surface runways; 16 with runways
over 3,659 m; 16 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 71 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
radio relay extends throughout country; system centered in Tehran; 2,143,000
telephones; broadcast stations - 77 AM, 3 FM, 28 TV; satellite earth
stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; HF radio
and radio relay to Turkey, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and
Uzbekistan
:Iran Defense Forces
Branches:
Islamic Republic of Iran Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, and Revolutionary
Guard Corps (includes Basij militia and own ground, air, and naval forces);
Law Enforcement Forces
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 13,267,810; 7,895,591 fit for military service; 552,408 reach
military age (21) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $13 billion, 14-15% of GNP (1991 est.)
:Iraq Geography
Total area:
436,245 km2
Land area:
435,292 km2 (est.)
Comparative area:
slightly more than twice the size of Idaho
Land boundaries:
3,576 km; Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 134 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi Arabia 808 km,
Syria 605 km, Turkey 331 km
Coastline:
58 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
not specific
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations in 1990 but are still trying to
work out written agreements settling outstanding disputes from their
eight-year war concerning border demarcation, prisoners-of-war, and freedom
of navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt-al-Arab waterway; in April 1991
official Iraqi acceptance of UN Security Council Resolution 687, which
demands that Iraq accept the inviolability of the boundary set forth in its
1963 agreement with Kuwait, ending earlier claims to Bubiyan and Warbah
Islands or to all of Kuwait; a United Nations Boundary Demarcation
Commission is demarcating the Iraq-Kuwait boundary persuant to Resolution
687, and, on 17 June 1992, the UN Security Council reaffirmed the finality
of the Boundary Demarcation Commission's decisions; periodic disputes with
upstream riparian Syria over Euphrates water rights; potential dispute over
water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Climate:
mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers;
northernmost regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold
winters with occasionally heavy snows
Terrain:
mostly broad plains; reedy marshes in southeast; mountains along borders
with Iran and Turkey
Natural resources:
crude oil, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur
Land use:
arable land 12%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 9%; forest and
woodland 3%; other 75%; includes irrigated 4%
Environment:
development of Tigris-Euphrates Rivers system contingent upon agreements
with upstream riparians (Syria, Turkey); air and water pollution; soil
degradation (salinization) and erosion; desertification
:Iraq People
Population:
18,445,847 (July 1992), growth rate 3.7% (1992)
Birth rate:
45 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
9 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
84 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
62 years male, 64 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
7.0 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Iraqi(s); adjective - Iraqi
Ethnic divisions:
Arab 75-80%, Kurdish 15-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%
Religions:
Muslim 97%, (Shi`a 60-65%, Sunni 32-37%), Christian or other 3%
Languages:
Arabic (official), Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian
Literacy:
60% (male 70%, female 49%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
4,400,000 (1989); services 48%, agriculture 30%, industry 22%, severe labor
shortage; expatriate labor force about 1,600,000 (July 1990)
Organized labor:
less than 10% of the labor force
:Iraq Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Iraq
Type:
republic
Capital:
Baghdad
Administrative divisions:
18 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al
Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'im, Babil,
Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Karbala, Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din,
Wasit
Independence:
3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
Constitution:
22 September 1968, effective 16 July 1970 (interim Constitution); new
constitution drafted in 1990 but not adopted
Legal system:
based on Islamic law in special religious courts, civil law system
elsewhere; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Anniversary of the Revolution, 17 July (1968)
Executive branch:
president, vice president, chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council,
vice chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, prime minister, first
deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (Majlis al-Watani)
Judicial branch:
Court of Cassation
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President SADDAM Husayn (since 16 July 1979); Vice President Taha Muhyi
al-Din MA'RUF (since 21 April 1974); Vice President Taha Yasin RAMADAN
(since 23 March 1991)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Muhammad Hamza al-ZUBAYDI (since 13 September 1991); Deputy
Prime Minister Tariq `AZIZ (since NA 1979)
Suffrage:
universal adult at age 18
Elections:
National Assembly:
last held on 1 April 1989 (next to be held NA); results - Sunni Arabs 53%,
Shi`a Arabs 30%, Kurds 15%, Christians 2% est.; seats - (250 total) number
of seats by party NA
Other political or pressure groups:
political parties and activity severely restricted; possibly some opposition
to regime from disaffected members of the regime, Army officers, and Shi`a
religious and Kurdish ethnic dissidents
Member of:
ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Iraq has an Interest Section in the Algerian Embassy in Washington, DC;
Chancery at 1801 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20036; telephone (202) 483-7500
:Iraq Government
US:
no US representative in Baghdad since mid-January 1991; Embassy in Masbah
Quarter (opposite the Foreign Ministry Club), Baghdad (mailing address is P.
O. Box 2447 Alwiyah, Baghdad); telephone [964] (1) 719-6138 or 719-6139,
718-1840, 719-3791
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with three green
five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; the
phrase Allahu Akbar (God is Great) in green Arabic script - Allahu to the
right of the middle star and Akbar to the left of the middle star - was
added in January 1991 during the Persian Gulf crisis; similar to the flag of
Syria that has two stars but no script and the flag of Yemen that has a
plain white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt that has a symbolic
eagle centered in the white band
:Iraq Economy
Overview:
The Ba`thist regime engages in extensive central planning and management of
industrial production and foreign trade while leaving some small-scale
industry and services and most agriculture to private enterprise. The
economy has been dominated by the oil sector, which has provided about 95%
of foreign exchange earnings. In the 1980s financial problems, caused by
massive expenditures in the eight-year war with Iran and damage to oil
export facilities by Iran, led the government to implement austerity
measures and to borrow heavily and later reschedule foreign debt payments.
After the end of hostilities in 1988, oil exports gradually increased with
the construction of new pipelines and restoration of damaged facilities.
Agricultural development remained hampered by labor shortages, salinization,
and dislocations caused by previous land reform and collectivization
programs. The industrial sector, although accorded high priority by the
government, also was under financial constraints. Iraq's seizure of Kuwait
in August 1990, subsequent international economic embargoes, and military
actions by an international coalition beginning in January 1991 drastically
changed the economic picture. Oil exports were cut to near zero, and
industrial and transportation facilities were severely damaged. Throughout
1991, the UN's economic embargo worked to reduce exports and imports and to
increase prices for most goods. The government's policy to allocate goods to
key supporters of the regime exacerbated shortages.
GNP:
$35 billion, per capita $1,940; real growth rate 10% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
45% (1989)
Unemployment rate:
less than 5% (1989 est.)
Budget:
revenues $NA billion; expenditures $NA billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (1989)
Exports:
$10.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
crude oil and refined products, fertilizer, sulfur
partners:
US, Brazil, Turkey, Japan, Netherlands, Spain (1990)
Imports:
$6.6 billion (c.i.f., 1990)
commodities:
manufactures, food
partners:
FRG, US, Turkey, France, UK (1990)
External debt:
$45 billion (1989 est.), excluding debt of about $35 billion owed to Arab
Gulf states
Industrial production:
NA%; manufacturing accounts for 10% of GNP (1989)
Electricity:
3,800,000 kW available out of 9,902,000 kw capacity due to Gulf war; 7,700
million kWh produced, 430 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
petroleum production and refining, chemicals, textiles, construction
materials, food processing
Agriculture:
accounts for 11% of GNP but 30% of labor force; principal products - wheat,
barley, rice, vegetables, dates, other fruit, cotton, wool; livestock -
cattle, sheep; not self-sufficient in food output
:Iraq Economy
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $3 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $647 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $3.9 billion
Currency:
Iraqi dinar (plural - dinars); 1 Iraqi dinar (ID) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates:
Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1 - 3.1 (fixed official rate since 1982);
black-market rate (December 1991) US$1 = 12 Iraqi dinars
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Iraq Communications
Railroads:
2,457 km 1.435-meter standard gauge
Highways:
34,700 km total; 17,500 km paved, 5,500 km improved earth, 11,700 km
unimproved earth
Inland waterways:
1,015 km; Shatt-al-Arab usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130
km, but closed since September 1980 because of Iran-Iraq war; Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers have navigable sections for shallow-draft watercraft;
Shatt-al-Basrah canal was navigable by shallow-draft craft before closing in
1991 because of the Persian Gulf war
Pipelines:
crude oil 4,350 km; petroleum products 725 km; natural gas 1,360 km
Ports:
Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, Al Basrah (closed since 1980)
Merchant marine:
42 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 936,665 GRT/1,683,212 DWT; includes 1
passenger, 1 passenger-cargo, 16 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 3
roll-on/roll-off cargo, 19 petroleum tanker, 1 chemical tanker; note - since
the 2 August 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi forces, Iraq has sought to
register at least part of its merchant fleet under convenience flags; none
of the Iraqi flag merchant fleet was trading internationally as of 1 January
1992
Civil air:
34 major transport aircraft (including 7 grounded in Iran; excluding 12
IL-76s and 7 Kuwait Airlines)
Airports:
113 total, 98 usable; 73 with permanent-surface runways; 8 with runways over
3,659 m; 52 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
reconstitution of damaged telecommunication infrastructure began after
Desert Storm; the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave links;
632,000 telephones; the network is operational; broadcast stations - 16 AM,
1 FM, 13 TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian
Ocean INTELSAT, 1 GORIZONT Atlantic Ocean in the Intersputnik system and 1
ARABSAT; coaxial cable and microwave to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey
:Iraq Defense Forces
Branches:
Army and Republican Guard, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard Force, Internal
Security Forces
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 4,042,374; 2,272,578 fit for military service; 213,788 reach
military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GNP
:Ireland Geography
Total area:
70,280 km2
Land area:
68,890 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
360 km; UK 360 km
Coastline:
1,448 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
no precise definition
Exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
Northern Ireland question with the UK; Rockall continental shelf dispute
involving Denmark, Iceland, and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a
boundary agreement in the Rockall area)
Climate:
temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool
summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
Terrain:
mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low
mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
Natural resources:
zinc, lead, natural gas, crude oil, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone,
dolomite, peat, silver
Land use:
arable land 14%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 71%; forest and
woodland 5%; other 10%
Environment:
deforestation
:Ireland People
Population:
3,521,207 (July 1992), growth rate 0.2% (1992)
Birth rate:
15 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
9 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
-4 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
8 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
72 years male, 78 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.0 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Irishman(men), Irish (collective pl.); adjective - Irish
Ethnic divisions:
Celtic, with English minority
Religions:
Roman Catholic 93%, Anglican 3%, none 1%, unknown 2%, other 1% (1981)
Languages:
Irish (Gaelic) and English; English is the language generally used, with
Gaelic spoken in a few areas, mostly along the western seaboard
Literacy:
98% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981)
Labor force:
1,333,000; services 57.0%, manufacturing and construction 26.1%,
agriculture, forestry, and fishing 15.0%, energy and mining 1.9% (1991)
Organized labor:
58% of labor force (1991)
:Ireland Government
Long-form name:
none
Type:
republic
Capital:
Dublin
Administrative divisions:
26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry,
Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath,
Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath,
Wexford, Wicklow
Independence:
6 December 1921 (from UK)
Constitution:
29 December 1937; adopted 1937
Legal system:
based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts;
judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament (Oireachtas) consists of an upper house or Senate
(Seanad Eireann) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Dail
Eireann)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Mary Bourke ROBINSON (since 9 November 1990)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Albert REYNOLDS (since 11 February 1992)
Political parties and leaders:
Fianna Fail, Albert REYNOLDS; Labor Party, Richard SPRING; Fine Gael, John
BRUTON; Communist Party of Ireland, Michael O'RIORDAN; Workers' Party
(vacant); Sinn Fein, Gerry ADAMS; Progressive Democrats, Desmond O'MALLEY;
note - Prime Minister REYNOLDS heads a coalition consisting of the Fianna
Fail and the Progressive Democrats
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
President:
last held 9 November 1990 (next to be held November 1997); results - Mary
Bourke ROBINSON 52.8%, Brian LENIHAN 47.2%
Senate:
last held on 17 February 1987 (next to be held February 1992); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (60 total, 49 elected) Fianna Fail 30,
Fine Gael 16, Labor 3, independents 11
House of Representatives:
last held on 12 July 1989 (next to be held June 1994); results - Fianna Fail
44.0%, Fine Gael 29.4%, Labor Party 9.3%, Progressive Democrats 5.4%,
Workers' Party 4.9%, Sinn Fein 1.1%, independents 5.9%; seats - (166 total)
Fianna Fail 77, Fine Gael 55, Labor Party 15, Workers' Party 7, Progressive
Democrats 6, independents 6
Communists:
under 500
:Ireland Government
Member of:
AG, BIS, CCC, CE, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO,
ITU, LORCS, NEA, NSG, OECD, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNIIMOG, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Dermot GALLAGHER; Chancery at 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 462-3939; there are Irish Consulates
General in Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
US:
Ambassador Richard A. MOORE; Embassy at 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin;
telephone [353] (1) 688777; FAX [353] (1) 689-946
Flag:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar
to the flag of the Ivory Coast, which is shorter and has the colors reversed
- orange (hoist side), white, and green; also similar to the flag of Italy,
which is shorter and has colors of green (hoist side), white, and red
:Ireland Economy
Overview:
The economy is small, open, and trade dependent. Agriculture, once the most
important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 37% of GDP
and about 80% of exports and employs 26% of the labor force. The government
has successfully reduced the rate of inflation from double-digit figures in
the late 1970s to 3.8% in 1991. In 1987, after years of deficits, the
balance of payments was brought into the black. Unemployment, however,
remains a serious problem. A 1991 unemployment rate of 20.4% placed Ireland
along with Spain as the countries with the worst jobless records in Western
Europe.
GDP:
purchasing power equivalent - $39.2 billion, per capita $11,200; real growth
rate 1.3% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.8% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
20.4% (1991)
Budget:
revenues $11.4 billion; expenditures $12.6 billion, including capital
expenditures of $1.6 billion (1992 est.)
Exports:
$27.8 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery, live animals,
animal products
partners:
EC 74% (UK 34%, Germany 11%, France 10%), US 8%
Imports:
$24.5 billion (c.i.f., 1991)
commodities:
food, animal feed, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery,
textiles, clothing
partners:
EC 66% (UK 41%, Germany 9%, France 4%), US 14%
External debt:
$14.8 billion (1990)
Industrial production:
growth rate 3.0% (1991); accounts for 37% of GDP
Electricity:
4,957,000 kW capacity; 14,480 million kWh produced, 4,080 kWh per capita
(1991)
Industries:
food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals,
machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal
Agriculture:
accounts for 11% of GDP and 15% of the labor force; principal crops -
turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; livestock - meat and dairy
products; 85% self-sufficient in food; food shortages include bread grain,
fruits, vegetables
Economic aid:
donor - ODA commitments (1980-89), $90 million
Currency:
Irish pound (plural - pounds); 1 Irish pound (#Ir) = 100 pence
Exchange rates:
Irish pounds (#Ir) per US$1 - 0.6227 (March 1992), 0.6190 (1991), 0.6030
(1990), 0.7472 (1989), 0.6553 (1988), 0.6720 (1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Ireland Communications
Railroads:
Irish National Railways (CIE) operates 1,947 km 1.602-meter gauge,
government owned; 485 km double track; 38 km electrified
Highways:
92,294 km total; 87,422 km paved, 4,872 km gravel or crushed stone
Inland waterways:
limited for commercial traffic
Pipelines:
natural gas 225 km
Ports:
Cork, Dublin, Shannon Estuary, Waterford
Merchant marine:
55 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 146,081 GRT/177,058 DWT; includes 4
short-sea passenger, 32 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 3 container, 3
petroleum tanker, 3 specialized tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 6 bulk
Civil air:
23 major transport aircraft
Airports:
36 total, 35 usable; 17 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways
over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
small, modern system using cable and digital microwave circuits; 900,000
telephones; broadcast stations - 9 AM, 45 FM, 86 TV; 2 coaxial submarine
cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
:Ireland Defense Forces
Branches:
Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (GARDA)
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 894,421; 724,262 fit for military service; 34,182 reach
military age (17) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $566 million, 1-2% of GDP (1992 est.)
:Israel Header
Note:
The Arab territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included
in the data below. As stated in the 1978 Camp David Accords and reaffirmed
by President Bush's post-Gulf crisis peace initiative, the final status of
the West Bank and Gaza Strip, their relationship with their neighbors, and a
peace treaty between Israel and Jordan are to be negotiated among the
concerned parties. The Camp David Accords further specify that these
negotiations will resolve the location of the respective boundaries. Pending
the completion of this process, it is US policy that the final status of the
West Bank and Gaza Strip has yet to be determined (see West Bank and Gaza
Strip entries). On 25 April 1982 Israel relinquished control of the Sinai to
Egypt. Statistics for the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are included in the
Syria entry.
:Israel Geography
Total area:
20,770 km2
Land area:
20,330 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
1,006 km; Egypt 255 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank
307, Gaza Strip 51 km
Coastline:
273 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
to depth of exploitation
Territorial sea:
6 nm
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; West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli occupied
with status to be determined; Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; Israeli
troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; water-sharing issues with Jordan
Climate:
temperate; hot and dry in 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%; includes irrigated 11%
Environment:
sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; limited arable land and
natural water resources pose serious constraints; deforestation
Note:
there are 175 Jewish settlements in the West Bank, 38 in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 18 in the Gaza Strip, and 14 Israeli-built
Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem
:Israel People