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

Population:
4,748,059 (July 1992), growth rate 4.0% (1992); includes 95,000 Jewish
settlers in the West Bank, 14,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights,
4,000 in the Gaza Strip, and 132,000 in East Jerusalem (1992 est.)
Birth rate:
21 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
26 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
9 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
76 years male, 80 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.9 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Israeli(s); adjective - Israeli
Ethnic divisions:
Jewish 83%, non-Jewish (mostly Arab) 17%
Religions:
Judaism 82%, Islam (mostly Sunni Muslim) 14%, Christian 2%, Druze and other
2%
Languages:
Hebrew (official); Arabic used officially for Arab minority; English most
commonly used foreign language
Literacy:
92% (male 95%, female 89%) age 15 and over can read and write (1983)
Labor force:
1,400,000 (1984 est.); public services 29.3%; industry, mining, and
manufacturing 22.8%; commerce 12.8%; finance and business 9.5%; transport,
storage, and communications 6.8%; construction and public works 6.5%;
personal and other services 5.8%; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 5.5%;
electricity and water 1.0% (1983)
Organized l