ion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$662 million from US (2003 est.)

Currency (code):
new Israeli shekel (ILS); note - NIS is the currency abbreviation;
ILS is the International Organization for Standarization (ISO) code
for the NIS

Currency code:
ILS

Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003),
4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001), 4.0773 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Israel

Telephones - main lines in use:
3.006 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
6.334 million (2002)

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
international: country code - 972; 3 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
3.07 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
17 (plus 36 low-power repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
1.69 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.il

Internet hosts:
437,516 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
21 (2000)

Internet users:
2 million (2002)

Transportation Israel

Railways:
total: 640 km
standard gauge: 640 km 1.435-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 16,903 km
paved: 16,903 km (including 56 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2002)

Pipelines:
gas 140 km; oil 1,509 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa

Merchant marine:
total: 17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 752,873 GRT/881,711 DWT
by type: cargo 1, container 16
registered in other countries: 48 (2005)

Airports:
51 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 28
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 23
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
3 (2004 est.)

Military Israel

Military branches:
Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Ground Corps, Navy, Air and Space
Force (includes Air Defense Forces); historically there have been no
separate Israeli military services

Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary
(Christians, Muslims