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Middle East Regional Facts

Occupied Palestinian Territories: Basic Facts

(The Gaza Strip, West Bank, East Jerusalem)

Area:

• West Bank: 5,860 sq km;
• Gaza Strip: 360 sq km

Population:

• West Bank (incl. East Jerusalem); 2,237,194; (additionally, there are 380,000 illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank)
• Gaza Strip: 1,274,868; (additionally, there are 6,500 illegal Israeli settlers in the Gaza Strip)

Ethnic groups:

• West Bank: including East Jerusalem, Palestinian Arab and other 83%; Jewish 17%,
• Gaza Strip: Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish (settlers) 0.6%

Religions:

• West Bank:
  Muslim 75%,Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8%,
  
• Gaza Strip:
  Muslim 98.7%, Christian 0.7%, Jewish (settlers) 0.6%

Official language:

• Arabic

Economy:

• family businesses: olive oil, soap, textiles, olive-wood carvings etc.;
• agriculture: olives, citrus, vegetables, beef, dairy products, fruits.

GDP per capita:

• $733 (2002 est.)

(sources: PASSIA, The World Fact Book, Global Exchange, USAID)

Israel: Basic Facts

Area:

• 20,770 sq km

Population:

• 6,116,533 (this number includes the settler population living in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights)

Ethnic groups:

• Jewish 77.2%, Palestinians (including Muslims, Christians and Druze) 22.8%

Religions:

• Jewish 80.2%, Muslim 14.6%, Christians 2.1%, other 3.2%

Official Languages:

• Hebrew, Arabic (used by Arab minority)

Economy:

• industry: high-technology products, diamonds, wood and paper products, food, beverages, tobacco, cement, etc.
• agriculture: citrus, vegetables, cotton, beef, poultry and dairy products

GDP per capita:

• $19,500 (2002estimate)

(sources: PASSIA, The World Fact Book, Global Exchange, USAID)

Jordan: Basic Facts

Official Country Name:
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

• Area:92,300 sq km (slightly smaller than Indiana)

Population:

• 5,460,265 (July 2003 est.)

Ethnic Groups:

• Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%

Religions:

• Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several small Shi'a Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.)

Government:

• constitutional monarchy

Head of State:

• King Abdallah II (since 7 February 1999)

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita:

• purchasing power parity - $4,300 (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:

• 30%

(sources: PASSIA, The World Fact Book, Global Exchange, USAID)

Syria: Basic Facts

Official Country Name:

• Syrian Arab Republic

Area:

• 185,180 sq km (slightly larger than North Dakota)

Population:

• 17,585,540 (July 2002 est.) note: in addition, about 40,000 people live in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 20,000 Arabs (18,000 Druze and 2,000 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (August 2001 est.)

Ethnic Groups:

• Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%

Religions:

• Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)

Government:

• republic under military regime since March 1963

Head of State:

• President Bashar al-Asad (since 17 July 2000);

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita:

• purchasing power parity - $3,500 (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:

• 15%-25%

(sources: PASSIA, The World Fact Book, Global Exchange, USAID)

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