Language
The official language is Arabic but many people
also speak English and some also speak Hebrew and French.
Land area
What is traditionally known as historic Palestine
(the land of Palestine up to 1948) has a land area of 26,323km2
(10,162 square miles).
The West Bank and Gaza Strip currently
comprise the territory called Occupied Palestine. The West Bank
is approximately 5,800km2; 130km long and 40-65km wide. The Gaza
Strip is 365km2; 45km long and 5-12km wide.
Centres of population
The capital is Jerusalem (al-Quds in Arabic).
Palestine's other cities include Haifa, Jaffa, Safad, Asqalan,
Akko and Ramlah (contained within historic Palestine) and Jenin,
Tulkaram, Nablus , Jericho , Ram Allah, Bethlehem , Hebron (within
the West Bank) and Gaza City , Khan Yunis and Rafah (within Gaza
).
The currency
Three currencies are used; the US dollar, the
Jordanian Dinar and the New Israeli Shekel.
The people
Palestinians are an Arab people. Their total
population is between 7.5 and 8.5 million according to official
statistics. More than four and a half million are refugees, scattered
within Palestine and abroad (known as the Diaspora). There are
close to a million Palestinians living in Israel and these people
are referred to as Israeli Arabs; more than two million live in
the West Bank ; and a further million live in the Gaza Strip. The
rest are spread throughout the Middle East, with communities in
Europe, the US , Latin America and elsewhere.
However, it is widely believed that due to the
differing statistical methods of counting, many refugees have been
excluded in the 1948 and 1967 figures, leading to many Arab and
Palestinian institutions estimating that there are up to at least
ten million Palestinians worldwide.
The majority of Palestinians are Sunni Muslims.
Around 10% are Christian.
The population growth in the Palestinian Autonomous
Areas (PAA – the territories of West Bank and Gaza Strip, as identified
in formal peace treaties) is extremely high. Gaza Strip for instance,
is one of the most crowded areas in the world with a population
density of 2,888 people per square kilometre.
The population is also very young. More than
50% of the registered refugee population in Palestine , for example,
is under the age of 15.
Number of inhabitants
| |
Total |
West
Bank |
Gaza
Strip |
Mid 2001 |
3,298,951 |
2,102,360 |
1,196,591 |
Projected 2005 |
3,986,813 |
2,514,480 |
1,472,333 |
Projected 2015 |
5,758,360 |
3,517,154 |
2,241,206 |
Projected 2025 |
7,401,797 |
4,408,941 |
2,992,856 |
Distribution of the Palestinian People
Worldwide (Refugees)
Jordan |
2,598,104 |
Lebanon |
387,766 |
Syria |
394,695 |
Egypt |
57,500 |
Saudi Arabia & Gulf |
287,499 |
Kuwait & other Gulf |
151,959 |
Other Arab countries |
113,358 |
Areas Occupied in 1948 |
1,012,741 |
West Bank & Gaza Strip |
3,298,951 |
Other countries |
511,355 |
Total Inside |
4,311,692 |
Total Outside |
4,502,236 |
Palestinian Population worldwide |
8,813,928 |
|
The government
The Palestinian Authority is the government of Palestine with
Yasir Arafat the elected president.
Municipal services and government departments
have been barely functioning since the second Intifada began
due to repeated occupations by
the Israeli army and direct attacks on government offices,
departments and civil institutions.
These factors have put impossible pressures on health, education,
and labour and social services in general. Together with a soaring
unemployment rate, restrictions on movement imposed by the Israelis,
leaves few work opportunities for residents and increasing signs
of societal disintegration.
Before September 2000, the Palestinian Territories were highly
dependent on Israel for the import and export of goods; approximately
16% of the Palestinian workforce was employed in Israel as commuting
labourers.
Climate
Palestine has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and
rainy, cold winters. The average temperature in the West Bank falls
from 29C in the summer to 12C in the winter months.
Airport
Up until September 2000, Gaza International Airport was a heavily
restricted airport controlled by Israeli military airspace. During
the second Intifada, it has been bombed and shelled, destroying
the runway and the president's official plane.
Port
The Marine Port is under construction in the Gaza Strip, but has
also suffered from heavy Israeli bombing and shelling.
Time zone
GMT + two hours (winter)
GMT + three hours (summer) |
