Compare Israel (2003) - Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of (2003)

Compare Israel (2003) z Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of (2003)

	Israel (2003)	Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of (2003)

Administrative divisions	6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv	123 municipalities (opstini, singular - opstina); Aracinovo, Bac, Belcista, Berovo, Bistrica, Bitola, Blatec, Bogdanci, Bogomila, Bogovinje, Bosilovo, Brvenica, Cair (Skopje), Capari, Caska, Cegrane, Centar (Skopje), Centar Zupa, Cesinovo, Cucer-Sandevo, Debar, Delcevo, Delogozdi, Demir Hisar, Demir Kapija, Dobrusevo, Dolna Banjica, Dolneni, Dorce Petrov (Skopje), Drugovo, Dzepciste, Gazi Baba (Skopje), Gevgelija, Gostivar, Gradsko, Ilinden, Izvor, Jegunovce, Kamenjane, Karbinci, Karpos (Skopje), Kavadarci, Kicevo, Kisela Voda (Skopje), Klecevce, Kocani, Konce, Kondovo, Konopiste, Kosel, Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Krivogastani, Krusevo, Kuklis, Kukurecani, Kumanovo, Labunista, Lipkovo, Lozovo, Lukovo, Makedonska Kamenica, Makedonski Brod, Mavrovi Anovi, Meseista, Miravci, Mogila, Murtino, Negotino, Negotino-Polosko, Novaci, Novo Selo, Oblesevo, Ohrid, Orasac, Orizari, Oslomej, Pehcevo, Petrovec, Plasnica, Podares, Prilep, Probistip, Radovis, Rankovce, Resen, Rosoman, Rostusa, Samokov, Saraj, Sipkovica, Sopiste, Sopotnica, Srbinovo, Star Dojran, Staravina, Staro Nagoricane, Stip, Struga, Strumica, Studenicani, Suto Orizari (Skopje), Sveti Nikole, Tearce, Tetovo, Topolcani, Valandovo, Vasilevo, Velesta, Veles, Vevcani, Vinica, Vitoliste, Vranestica, Vrapciste, Vratnica, Vrutok, Zajas, Zelenikovo, Zeleno, Zitose, Zletovo, Zrnovci note: the seven municipalities followed by Skopje in parentheses collectively constitute "greater Skopje"
Age structure	0-14 years: 26.9% (male 842,885; female 803,864) 15-64 years: 63.2% (male 1,941,440; female 1,922,512) 65 years and over: 9.9% (male 260,315; female 345,517) (2003 est.)	0-14 years: 21.9% (male 235,102; female 217,574) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 700,929; female 691,552) 65 years and over: 10.6% (male 96,039; female 121,926) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products	rice, tobacco, wheat, corn, millet, cotton, sesame, mulberry leaves, citrus, vegetables; beef, pork, poultry, mutton
Airports	52 (2002)	18 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 28 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 4 (2002)	total: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 under 914 m: 8 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 24 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 20 (2002)	total: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 4 (2002)
Area	total: 20,770 sq km land: 20,330 sq km water: 440 sq km	total: 25,333 sq km land: 24,856 sq km water: 477 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than New Jersey	slightly larger than Vermont
Background	Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In addition, on 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives (from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip) and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. But progress toward a permanent status agreement has been undermined by the outbreak of Palestinian-Israeli violence since September 2000.	International recognition of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's (F.Y.R.O.M.) independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 was delayed by Greece's objection to the new state's use of what it considered a Hellenic name and symbols. Greece finally lifted its trade blockade in 1995, and the two countries agreed to normalize relations, despite continued disagreement over F.Y.R.O.M.'s use of "Macedonia." F.Y.R.O.M.'s large Albanian minority, an ethnic Albanian armed insurgency in F.Y.R.O.M. in 2001, and the status of neighboring Kosovo continue to be sources of ethnic tension.
Birth rate	18.67 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)	13.2 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	revenues: $38.5 billion expenditures: $45.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)	revenues: $1.13 billion expenditures: $1.02 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Capital	Jerusalem; note - Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv	Skopje
Climate	temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas	warm, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall
Coastline	273 km	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law	adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991 note: in November of 2001, the Macedonian Parliament approved a series of new constitutional amendments strengthening minority rights
Country name	conventional long form: State of Israel conventional short form: Israel local long form: Medinat Yisra'el local short form: Yisra'el	conventional long form: The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia conventional short form: none local long form: Republika Makedonija local short form: Makedonija abbreviation: F.Y.R.O.M.
Currency	new Israeli shekel (ILS); note - NIS is the currency abbreviation; ILS is the International Organization for Standarization (ISO) code for the NIS	Macedonian denar (MKD)
Death rate	6.2 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)	7.78 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	$42.8 billion (2001 est.)	$1.3 billion (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel C. KURTZER embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv mailing address: PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830 telephone: [972] (3) 519-7457/7369/7454/7458/7453 FAX: [972] (3) 517-4390 consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note - an independent US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign government	chief of mission: Ambassador Laurence Edward BUTLER embassy: Bul. Ilinden bb, 91000 Skopje mailing address: American Embassy Skopje, Department of State, 7120 Skopje Place, Washington, DC 20521-7120 (pouch) telephone: [389] 116-180 FAX: [389] 117-103
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel AYALON chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 364-5500 FAX: [1] (202) 364-5607 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco	chief of mission: Ambassador Nikola DIMITROV chancery: Suite 302, 1101 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 337-3063 FAX: [1] (202) 337-3093 consulate(s) general: New York
Disputes - international	West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights)	the Albanian government calls for the protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians in F.Y.R.O.M. while continuing to seek regional cooperation; ethnic Albanians in Kosovo continue to protest 2000 F.Y.R.O.M.-Serbia and Montenegro boundary treaty, which transfers small tracts of land to F.Y.R.O.M.; dispute with Greece over country's name persists
Economic aid - recipient	$720 million from US (2001 est.)	$150 million (2001 est.)
Economy - overview	Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with substantial government participation. It depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years. Israel imports significant quantities of grain but is largely self-sufficient in other agricultural products. Cut diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are the leading exports. Israel usually posts sizable current account deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's external debt is owed to the US, which is its major source of economic and military aid. The influx of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR during the period 1989-99, coupled with the opening of new markets at the end of the Cold War, energized Israel's economy, which grew rapidly in the early 1990s; growth began moderating in 1996 when the government imposed tighter fiscal and monetary policies and the immigration bonus petered out. Growth was a strong 7.2% in 2000, but the bitter Israeli-Palestinian conflict, difficulties in the high-technology, construction, and tourist sectors, and fiscal austerity in the face of growing inflation led to small declines in GDP in 2001 and 2002.	At independence in November 1991, Macedonia was the least developed of the Yugoslav republics, producing a mere 5% of the total federal output of goods and services. The collapse of Yugoslavia ended transfer payments from the center and eliminated advantages from inclusion in a de facto free trade area. An absence of infrastructure, UN sanctions on Yugoslavia, one of its largest markets, and a Greek economic embargo over a dispute about the country's constitutional name and flag hindered economic growth until 1996. GDP subsequently rose each year through 2000. However, the leadership's commitment to economic reform, free trade, and regional integration was undermined by the ethnic Albanian insurgency of 2001. The economy shrank 4.5% because of decreased trade, intermittent border closures, increased deficit spending on security needs, and investor uncertainty. Growth barely recovered in 2002 to 0.3%, then rose to 2.8% in 2003. Unemployment at one-third of the workforce remains the most critical economic problem. But even this issue is overshadowed by the fragile political situation.
Electricity - consumption	37.82 billion kWh (2001)	6.112 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	1.457 billion kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	100 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	42.24 billion kWh (2001)	6.465 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 99.9% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)	fossil fuel: 83.7% hydro: 16.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m	lowest point: Vardar River 50 m highest point: Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) 2,753 m
Environment - current issues	limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides	air pollution from metallurgical plants
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation	party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	Jewish 80.1% (Europe/America-born 32.1%, Israel-born 20.8%, Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish 19.9% (mostly Arab) (1996 est.)	Macedonian 64.2%, Albanian 25.2%, Turkish 3.8%, Roma 2.7%, Serb 1.8%, other 2.3% (1994)
Exchange rates	new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.74 (2002), 4.21 (2001), 4.08 (2000), 4.14 (1999), 3.8 (1998)	Macedonian denars per US dollar - 64.35 (2002), 68.04 (2001), 65.9 (2000), 56.9 (1999), 54.46 (1998)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Moshe KATSAV (since 31 July 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Ariel SHARON (since 7 March 2001) cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset elections: president elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term; election last held 31 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2007); following legislative elections, the president assigns a Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the largest party - the task of forming a governing coalition; election last held 28 January 2003 (next to be held fall of 2007) election results: Moshe KATSAV elected president by the 120-member Knesset with a total of 60 votes, other candidate, Shimon PERES, received 57 votes (there were three abstentions); Ariel SHARON continues as prime minister after Likud Party victory in January 2003 Knesset elections; Likud won 38 seats and then formed coalition government with Shinui, the National Religious Party, and the National Union	chief of state: President Boris TRAJKOVSKI (since 15 December 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Branko CRVENKOVSKI (since 1 November 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the majority vote of all the deputies in the Assembly; note - current cabinet formed by the government coalition parties SDSM, LDP, and DUI (or BDI) elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 14 November 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004); prime minister elected by the Assembly; election last held 1 November 2002 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: Boris TRAJKOVSKI elected president on second-round ballot; percent of vote - Boris TRAJKOVSKI 52.4%, Tito PETKOVSKI 46.2%; Branko CRVENKOVSKI elected prime minister by Parliament with 72% of the vote
Exports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel	food, beverages, tobacco; miscellaneous manufactures, iron and steel
Exports - partners	US 39.2%, Belgium 6.5%, Germany 4.4%, UK 4.2% (2002)	Germany 19.2%, Italy 9.2%, US 6.7%, Croatia 5.5%, Greece 4.6% (2002)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag	a yellow sun with eight broadening rays extending to the edges of the red field
GDP	purchasing power parity - $117.4 billion (2002 est.)	purchasing power parity - $10.57 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 3% industry: 30% services: 67% (2001 est.)	agriculture: 11% industry: 31% services: 58% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $19,500 (2002 est.)	purchasing power parity - $5,100 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-0.8% (2002 est.)	0.7% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	31 30 N, 34 45 E	41 50 N, 22 00 E
Geography - note	there are 242 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 25 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (February 2002 est.); Sea of Galilee is an important freshwater source	landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe
Heliports	3 (2002)	-
Highways	total: 16,281 km paved: 16,281 km (including 56 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (2000)	total: 8,684 km paved: 5,540 km (including 133 km of expressways) unpaved: 3,144 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 28.3% (1997)	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan	major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish; minor transit point for South American cocaine destined for Europe; while money laundering is a problem on a local level due to organized crime activities, the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center
Imports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods	machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; food products
Imports - partners	US 21.6%, Belgium 8.9%, Germany 6.7%, UK 6.6%, Switzerland 4.9%, Italy 4.5% (2002)	Greece 19.4%, Germany 14.4%, Bulgaria 7.5%, Slovenia 6.9%, Italy 6.9%, Turkey 5.9%, Ukraine 5%, Austria 4.1% (2002)
Independence	14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)	8 September 1991 referendum by registered voters endorsing independence (from Yugoslavia)
Industrial production growth rate	-1.5% (2002 est.)	-5% (2002 est.)
Industries	high-technology projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, diamond cutting	coal, metallic chromium, lead, zinc, ferronickel, textiles, wood products, tobacco, food processing, buses
Infant mortality rate	total: 7.37 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.14 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)	total: 12.14 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	5.7% (2002 est.)	1.1% (2002 est.)
International organization participation	BSEC (observer), CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO	ACCT, BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	21 (2000)	6 (2000)
Irrigated land	1,990 sq km (1998 est.)	550 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court (justices appointed for life by the president)	Supreme Court - Parliament appoints the judges; Constitutional Court - Parliament appoints the judges; Republican Judicial Council - Parliament appoints the judges
Labor force	2.5 million (2002 est.)	1.1 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	public services 31.2%, manufacturing 20.2%, finance and business 13.1%, commerce 12.8%, construction 7.5%, personal and other services 6.4%, transport, storage, and communications 6.2%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6% (1996)	agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries	total: 1,017 km border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km	total: 766 km border countries: Albania 151 km, Bulgaria 148 km, Greece 246 km, Serbia and Montenegro 221 km
Land use	arable land: 17.02% permanent crops: 4.17% other: 78.81% (1998 est.)	arable land: 23.59% permanent crops: 1.85% other: 74.56% (1998 est.)
Languages	Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language	Macedonian 70%, Albanian 21%, Turkish 3%, Serbo-Croatian 3%, other 3%
Legal system	mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Legislative branch	unicameral Knesset or parliament (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 28 January 2003 (next to be held fall of 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Likud Party 29.4%, Labor 14.5%, Shinui 12.3%, Shas 8.2%, National Union 5.5%, Meretz 5.2%, United Torah Judaism 4.3%, National Religious Party 4.2%, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality 3.0%, One Nation 2.8%, National Democratic Alliance 2.3%, YBA 2.2%, United Arab List 2.1%, Green Leaf Party 1.2%, Herut 1.2%, other 1.6%; seats by party - Likud 38, Labor 19, Shinui 15, Shas 11, National Union 7, Meretz 6, National Religious Party 6, United Torah Judaism 5, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality 3, One Nation 3, National Democratic Alliance 3, YBA 2, United Arab List 2	unicameral Assembly or Sobranie (120 seats - 85 members are elected by popular vote, 35 members come from lists of candidates submitted by parties based on the percentage that a party gains from the overall vote; all serve four-year terms) elections: last held 15 September 2002 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Together for Macedonia coalition (SDSM and LDP) 60, VMRO-DPMNE 33, Democratic Union for Integration 16, Democratic Party of Albanians 7, Party for Democratic Prosperity 2, National Democratic Party 1, Socialist Party of Macedonia 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 79.02 years male: 76.95 years female: 81.19 years (2003 est.)	total population: 74.49 years male: 72.23 years female: 76.94 years (2003 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.4% male: 97.3% female: 93.6% (2003 est.)	definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%
Location	Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon	Southeastern Europe, north of Greece
Map references	Middle East	Europe
Maritime claims	continental shelf: to depth of exploitation territorial sea: 12 NM	none (landlocked)
Merchant marine	total: 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 705,897 GRT/823,605 DWT ships by type: container 17, roll on/roll off 1 (2002 est.)	-
Military branches	Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (includes ground, naval, and air components with Air Defense Forces), Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal); note - historically there have been no separate Israeli military services	Army (ARM), Air and Air Defense Forces, Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$8.97 billion (FY02)	$200 million (FY01/02 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	8.75% (FY02)	6% (FY01/02 est.)
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 1,562,716 females age 15-49: 1,516,505 note: both sexes are liable for military service (2003 est.)	males age 15-49: 553,988 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 1,279,277 females age 15-49: 1,237,926 (2003 est.)	males age 15-49: 446,726 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age	18 years of age (2003 est.)	19 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	males: 51,080 females: 53,496 (2003 est.)	males: 17,909 (2003 est.)
National holiday	Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May	Uprising Day, 2 August (1903); note - also known as Saint Elijah's Day and Ilinden
Nationality	noun: Israeli(s) adjective: Israeli	noun: Macedonian(s) adjective: Macedonian
Natural hazards	sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes	high seismic risks
Natural resources	timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand	chromium, lead, zinc, manganese, tungsten, nickel, low-grade iron ore, asbestos, sulfur, timber, arable land
Net migration rate	1.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)	-1.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines	gas 100 km; oil 1,509 km (2003)	gas 268 km; oil 120 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders	Center Party [Dan MERIDOR]; Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) [Muhammad BARAKA]; Democratic Movement [Roman BRONFMAN]; Gesher [David LEVI]; Green Leaf Party [Boaz WACHTEL and Shlomi SANDAK]; Herut [Michael KLEINER]; Labor Party [Binyamin BEN-ELIEZER]; Likud Party [Ariel SHARON]; Meimad [Rabbi Michael MELCHIOR]; Meretz [Yossi SARID]; National Democratic Alliance (Balad) [Azmi BISHARA]; National Religious Party [Yitzhak LEVY]; National Union [Benyamin ELON] (includes Tekuma and Moledet); One Israel [Ra'anan COHEN]; One Nation [Amir PERETZ]; Shas [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Shinui [Tommy LAPID]; United Arab List [Abd al-Malik DAHAMSHAH]; United Torah Judaism [Meir PORUSH]; Yisra'el Ba'Aliya or YBA [Natan SHARANSKY]; Yisra'el Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]	Democratic Alternative or DA [Vasil TUPURKOVSKI, president]; Democratic Union for Integration or DUI (also BDI) [Ali AHMETI]; Democratic Party of Albanians or PDSH [Arben XHAFERI, president]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or VMRO-DPMNE [Ljubco GEORGIEVSKI, president]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-True Macedonian Reform Option or VMRO-VMRO [Boris ZMEJKOVSKI]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Macedonian [Boris STOJMENOV]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Risto PENOV]; Liberal Party [Stojan ANDOV]; National Democratic Party or PDK [Kastriot HAXHIREXHA]; Party for Democratic Prosperity or PPD [Abdurrahman HALITI]; Social-Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or SDSM [Branko CRVENKOVSKI, president]; Socialist Party of Macedonia or SP [Ljubisav IVANOV, president]; Together for Macedonia coalition (including the SDSM and LDP) [Branko CRVENKOVSKI]; Union of Romanies of Macedonia or SRM [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders	Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Yesha (settler) Council promotes settler interests and opposes territorial compromise; B'Tselem monitors human rights abuses	NA
Population	6,116,533 (July 2002 est.) note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, more than 5,000 in the Gaza Strip, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (February 2003 est.) (July 2003 est.)	2,063,122 note: a census was taken 1-15 November 2002, but results are not yet available (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	18% (2001 est.)	24% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate	1.39% (2003 est.)	0.4% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo	none
Radio broadcast stations	AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998)	AM 29, FM 20, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways	total: 640 km standard gauge: 640 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)	total: 699 km standard gauge: 699 km 1.435-m gauge (233 km electrified) (2002)
Religions	Jewish 80.1%, Muslim 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian 2.1%, other 3.2% (1996 est.)	Macedonian Orthodox 67%, Muslim 30%, other 3%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.)	at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
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: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: NA
Telephones - main lines in use	2.8 million (1999)	408,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular	2.5 million (1999)	12,362 (1997)
Television broadcast stations	17 (plus 36 low-power repeaters) (1995)	31 (plus 166 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain	Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley	mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River
Total fertility rate	2.5 children born/woman (2003 est.)	1.75 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	10.4% (2002 est.)	37% (2002 est.)
Waterways	none	note: lake transport only, on the Greek and Albanian borders

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