istice Line which 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

_*_People
_#_Population: 4,477,105 (July 1991), growth rate 1.5% (1991);
includes 90,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, 13,000 in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 2,500 in the Gaza Strip, and 120,000 in
East Jerusalem (1990 est.)

_#_Birth rate: 21 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 76 years male, 79 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Israeli(s); adjective--Israeli

_#_Ethnic divisions: Jewish 83%, non-Jewish (mostly Arab) 17%

_#_Religion: Judaism 82%, Islam (mostly Sunni Muslim) 14%,
Christian 2%, Druze and other 2%

_#_Language: 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 labor: 90% of labor force

_*_Government