cs, tourism

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 5% of GNP; largely self-sufficient in
food production, except for bread grains; principal products--citrus and
other fruits, vegetables, cotton; livestock products--beef, dairy, and
poultry

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $18.2
billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $2.5 billion

_#_Currency: new Israeli shekel (plural--shekels);
1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot

_#_Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--2.35
(May 1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946
(1987), 1.4878 (1986), 1.1788 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March; changing to calender year basis
starting January 1992

_*_Communications
_#_Railroads: 594 km 1.435-meter gauge, single track; diesel operated

_#_Highways: 4,500 km; majority is bituminous surfaced

_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 708 km; refined products, 290 km; natural
gas, 89 km

_#_Ports: Ashdod, Haifa, Elat

_#_Merchant marine: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 516,714
GRT/611,795 DWT; includes 7 cargo, 21 container, 2 refrigerated cargo;
note--Israel also maintains a significant flag of convenience fleet,
which is normally at least as large as the Israeli flag fleet; the
Israeli flag of convenience fleet typically includes all of its POL
tankers

_#_Civil air: 27 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 51 total, 44 usable; 26 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: most highly developed in the Middle East
though not the largest; good system of coaxial cable and radio relay;
1,800,000 telephones; stations--11 AM, 24 FM, 54 TV; 2 submarine cables;
satellite earth stations--2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean
INTELSAT

_*_Defense Forces
_#_Branches: Israel Defense Forces includes ground, naval, and air
components; historically there have been no separate Israeli military
services

_#_Manpower availability: eligible 15-49, 2,213,808; of the 1,117,733
males 15-49, 920,449 are fit for military service; of the 1,096,075
females 15-49, 899,022 are fit for military service; 44,429 males and
42,249 females reach military age (18) annually; both sexes are liable
for military service; Nahal or Pioneer Fighting Youth, Frontier Guard,
Chen

_#_Defense expenditures: $5.3 billion, 13.9%