lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $965 million
expenditures: $943 million (FY05/06 est.)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.1% (December 2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:
cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry
Industries:
financial services, light manufacturing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
3.2% (FY96/97)
Exports:
$NA
Exports - commodities:
tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb
Exports - partners:
UK (2006)
Imports:
$NA
Imports - commodities:
timber, fertilizers, fish
Imports - partners:
UK (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$NA
Debt - external:
$NA
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
Isle of Man pound (IMP), also known as the Manx pound
note: the British pound is also legal tender, but change is given in
IMP
Currency code:
GBP
Exchange rates:
Manx pounds (IMP) per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006),
0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003)
note: the Manx pound is at par with the British pound
Communications
Isle of Man
Telephones - main lines in use:
51,000 (1999)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system
international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite
earth station, submarine cable
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
NA
Television broadcast stations:
0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999)
Televisions:
27,490 (1999)
Internet country code:
.im
Internet hosts:
426 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA
Internet users:
NA
Transportation
Isle of Man
Airports:
1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Railways:
total: 65 km
standard gauge: 7 km 1.067-m gauge (7 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 58 km 0.914-m gauge (29 km electrified)
note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2006)
Roadways:
total: 500 km (2008)
Merchant marine:
total: 273
by type: bulk carrier 31, cargo 50, chemical tanker 48, container
12, liquefied gas 41, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 73,
refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 8, vehicle carrier 5
foreign-owned: 181 (Chile 6, Denmark 29, France 1, Germany 56,
Greece 50, Ireland 1, Japan 6, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 20,
Singapore 1, Sweden 1, Turkey 2, US 4)
registered in other countries: 7 (Bahamas 1, Liberia 5, Marshall
Islands 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Douglas, Ramsey
Military
Isle of Man
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 471
female: 447 (2008 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues
Isle of Man
Disputes - international:
none
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Israel
Introduction
Israel
Background:
Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of
Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish
states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the
Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the
deep tensions between the two sides. The territories Israel occupied
since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile,
unless otherwise noted. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the
Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. In keeping
with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October
1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and
Palestinian representatives and Syria to achieve a permanent
settlement. Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September
1993 a Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo Accords")
guiding an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding
territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26
October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In addition, on 25 May
2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it
had occupied since 1982. In April 2003, US President BUSH, working
in conjunction with the EU, UN, and Russia - the "Quartet" - took
the lead in laying out a roadmap to a final settlement of the
conflict by 2005, based on reciprocal steps by the two parties
leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. However,
progress toward a permanent status agreement was undermined by
Israeli-Palestinian violence between September 2003 and February
2005. An Israeli-Palestinian agreement reached at Sharm al-Sheikh in
February 2005, along with an internally-brokered Palestinian
ceasefire, significantly reduced the violence. In the summer of
2005, Israel unilaterally disengaged from the Gaza Strip, evacuating
settlers and its military while retaining control over most points
of entry into the Gaza Strip. The election of HAMAS in January 2006
to head the Palestinian Legislative Council froze relations between
Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Ehud OLMERT became prime
minister in March 2006; following an Israeli military operation in
Gaza in June-July 2006 and a 34-day conflict with Hizballah in
Lebanon in June-August 2006, he shelved plans to unilaterally
evacuate from most of the West Bank. OLMERT in June 2007 resumed
talks with the PA after HAMAS seized control of the Gaza Strip and
PA President Mahmoud ABBAS formed a new government without HAMAS.
Geography
Israel
Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and
Lebanon
Geographic coordinates:
31 30 N, 34 45 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 20,770 sq km
land: 20,330 sq km
water: 440 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
total: 1,017 km
border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km,
Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km
Coastline:
273 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
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
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m
Natural resources:
timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium
bromide, clays, sand
Land use:
arable land: 15.45%
permanent crops: 3.88%
other: 80.67% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,940 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
1.7 cu km (2001)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 2.05 cu km/yr (31%/7%/62%)
per capita: 305 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic
earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious
constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and
vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and
domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
there are about 340 Israeli civilian sites - including 100 small
outpost communities in the West Bank - as well as 42 sites in the
Golan Heights, 0 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (July
2008 est.); Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) is an important
freshwater source
People
Israel
Population:
7,112,359
note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank,
about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and fewer than
177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 28% (male 1,018,229/female 971,083)
15-64 years: 62.2% (male 2,242,928/female 2,183,688)
65 years and over: 9.8% (male 303,289/female 393,142) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 28.9 years
male: 28.2 years
female: 29.7 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.713% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
20.02 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
5.41 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
2.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.28 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.43 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.61 years
male: 78.54 years
female: 82.79 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.77 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
100 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Israeli(s)
adjective: Israeli
Ethnic groups:
Jewish 76.4% (of which Israel-born 67.1%, Europe/America-born 22.6%,
Africa-born 5.9%, Asia-born 4.2%), non-Jewish 23.6% (mostly Arab)
(2004)
Religions:
Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian
0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)
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: 97.1%
male: 98.5%
female: 95.9% (2004 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
6.9% of GDP (2004)
Government
Israel
Country name:
conventional long form: State of Israel
conventional short form: Israel
local long form: Medinat Yisra'el
local short form: Yisra'el
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Jerusalem
geographic coordinates: 31 46 N, 35 14 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in March; ends the
Sunday between the holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur
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; note -
since May 2003 the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee of the
Knesset has been working on a draft constitution
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 Shimon PERES (since 15 July 2007)
head of government: Prime Minister Ehud OLMERT (since May 2006);
Deputy Prime Minister Tzipora "Tzipi" LIVNI; note - Prime Minister
OLMERT resigned on 17 September 2008, but will serve as acting prime
minister until a new government is formed
cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the
Knesset
elections: president is largely a ceremonial role and is elected by
the Knesset for a seven-year term (one-term limit); election last
held 13 June 2007 (next to be held in 2014 but can be called
earlier); following legislative elections, the president assigns a
Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the largest party - the
task of forming a governing coalition
note: government coalition - Kadima, Labor Party, GIL (Pensioners),
and SHAS
election results: Shimon PERES elected president; number of votes in
first round - Shimon PERES 58, Reuven RIVLIN 37, Colette AVITAL 21;
PERES elected president in second round with 86 votes (unopposed)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 2006 (next scheduled to be held in
February 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Kadima 22%, Labor
15.1%, SHAS 9.5%, Likud 9%, Yisrael Beiteinu 9%, NU/NRP 7.1%, GIL
5.9%, Torah and Shabbat Judaism 4.7%, Meretz-YAHAD 3.8%, United Arab
List 3%, Balad 2.3%, HADASH 2.7%, other 5.9%; seats by party -
Kadima 29, Labor 19, Likud 12, SHAS 12, Yisrael Beiteinu 11, NU/NRP
9, GIL 7, Torah and Shabbat Judaism 6, Meretz-YAHAD 5, United Arab
List 4, Balad 3, HADASH 3
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (justices appointed by Judicial Selection Committee -
made up of all three branches of the government; mandatory
retirement age is 70)
Political parties and leaders:
Balad [Azmi BISHARA]; Democratic Front for Peace and Equality
(HADASH) [Muhammad BARAKEH]; GIL (Pensioners) [Rafael "Rafi" EITAN];
Kadima [Tzipora "Tzipi" LIVNI]; Labor Party [Ehud BARAK]; Likud
[Binyamin NETANYAHU]; Meretz-Yachad [Haim ORON]; National Democratic
Assembly (Balad) [Jamal ZAHALKA]; National Union (NU)/National
Religious Party (NRP) [Binyamin ELON]; SHAS [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Torah
and Shabbat Judaism or UTJ [Yaakov LITZMAN]; United Arab List
[Ibrahim SARSUR]; Yisrael Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
B'Tselem [Jessica MONTELL, Executive Director] monitors human rights
abuses; Peace Now [Yariv OPPENHEIMER, Secretary General] supports
territorial concessions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; YESHA
Council of Settlements [Danny DAYAN, Chairman] promotes settler
interests and opposes territorial compromise
International organization participation:
BIS, BSEC (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OAS
(observer), OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), PCA, SECI (observer),
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Salai MERIDOR
chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-5500
FAX: [1] (202) 364-5607
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James B. CUNNINGHAM
embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63903
mailing address: PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830
telephone: [972] (3) 519-7575
FAX: [972] (3) 516-4390
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
Israel
Economy - overview:
Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with
substantial, though diminishing, 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. Israel imports substantial quantities of grain but is largely
self-sufficient in other agricultural products. Cut diamonds,
high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and
vegetables) are the leading exports. Israel usually posts sizable
trade 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, its major source of economic and
military aid. Israel's GDP, after contracting slightly in 2001 and
2002 due to the Palestinian conflict and troubles in the
high-technology sector, has grown by about 5% per year since 2003.
The economy grew an estimated 5.4% in 2007, the fastest pace since
2000. The government's prudent fiscal policy and structural reforms
over the past few years have helped to induce strong foreign
investment, tax revenues, and private consumption, setting the
economy on a solid growth path.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$185.8 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$161.9 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$26,600 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.7%
industry: 30.2%
services: 67.1% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
2.894 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 18.5%, industry 23.7%, services 50%, other 7.8% (2002)
Unemployment rate:
7.3% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
21.6%
note: Israel's poverty line is $7.30 per person per day (2005)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.4%
highest 10%: 28.3% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
38.6 (2005)
Investment (gross fixed):
18.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $53.6 billion
expenditures: $53.63 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
80.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.5% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
4% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
6.27% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$15.36 billion (31 December 2006)
Stock of quasi money:
$154.3 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$113.4 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products
Industries:
high-technology projects (including aviation, communications,
computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber
optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food,
beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, construction, metals
products, chemical products, plastics, diamond cutting, textiles,
footwear
Industrial production growth rate:
4.1% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
48.7 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
44.74 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
1.844 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.9%
hydro: 0.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
5,966 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
232,300 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
82,910 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
334,300 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
1.94 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
970 million cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
970 million cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
30.44 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$5.197 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$50.37 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural
products, chemicals, textiles and apparel
Exports - partners:
US 35%, Belgium 7.5%, Hong Kong 5.8% (2007)
Imports:
$55.79 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds,
fuels, grain, consumer goods
Imports - partners:
US 13.9%, Belgium 7.9%, Germany 6.2%, China 6.1%, Switzerland 5.1%,
UK 4.7%, Italy 4.1% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$240 million from US (FY06)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$28.52 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$89.95 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$57.97 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$41.96 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$173.3 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
new Israeli shekel (ILS); note - NIS is the currency abbreviation;
ILS is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) code
for the NIS
Currency code:
ILS
Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 4.14 (2007), 4.4565
(2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003)
Communications
Israel
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.005 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
8.902 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: most highly developed system in the Middle East
although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay;
all systems are digital; four privately-owned mobile-cellular
service providers with countrywide coverage; mobile-cellular
teledensity is 140 per 100 persons
international: country code - 972; submarine cables provide links to
Europe, Cyprus, and parts of the Middle East; satellite earth
stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
3.07 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
17 (plus 36 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
1.69 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.il
Internet hosts:
1.415 million (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
21 (2000)
Internet users:
2 million (2007)
Transportation
Israel
Airports:
53 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 30
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: 6 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 23
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 20 (2007)
Heliports:
3 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 160 km; oil 442 km; refined products 261 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 853 km
standard gauge: 853 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 17,870 km
paved: 17,870 km (includes 146 km of expressways) (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 11
by type: cargo 2, container 9
registered in other countries: 60 (Bermuda 3, Cyprus 4, Georgia 2,
Honduras 1, Liberia 23, Malta 18, Panama 3, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines 2, Slovakia 4) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa
Military
Israel
Military branches:
Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel Naval Forces (INF), Israel Air
Force (IAF) (2007)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary
(Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are
obligated to military service; conscript service obligation - 36
months for enlisted men, 21 months for enlisted women, 48 months for
officers; reserve obligation to age 41-51 (men), 24 (women) (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,717,362
females age 16-49: 1,636,574 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,452,926
females age 16-49: 1,383,796 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 60,602
female: 57,532 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
7.3% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Israel
Disputes - international: