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Compare Israel (2005) - Spain (2005)

Compare Israel (2005) z Spain (2005)

 Israel (2005)Spain (2005)
 IsraelSpain
Administrative divisions 6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad autonoma)and 2 autonomous cities* (ciudades autonomas, singular - ciudad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares (Balearic Islands), Ceuta*, Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Melilla*, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco (Basque Country)


note: the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla plus three small islands of Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, administered directly by the Spanish central government, are all located off the coast of Morocco and are collectively referred to as Places of Sovereignty (Plazas de Soberania)
Age structure 0-14 years: 26.5% (male 851,415/female 812,095)


15-64 years: 63.7% (male 2,010,888/female 1,986,256)


65 years and over: 9.8% (male 264,708/female 351,521) (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 2,994,124/female 2,815,456)


15-64 years: 68% (male 13,762,281/female 13,664,762)


65 years and over: 17.6% (male 2,965,859/female 4,138,980) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish
Airports 51 (2004 est.) 156 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 28


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 8


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)
total: 95


over 3,047 m: 15


2,438 to 3,047 m: 10


1,524 to 2,437 m: 19


914 to 1,523 m: 23


under 914 m: 28 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 23


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.)
total: 61


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 15


under 914 m: 44 (2004 est.)
Area total: 20,770 sq km


land: 20,330 sq km


water: 440 sq km
total: 504,782 sq km


land: 499,542 sq km


water: 5,240 sq km


note: there are 19 autonomous communities including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands, and three small Spanish possessions off the coast of Morocco - Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera
Area - comparative slightly smaller than New Jersey slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
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. Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo accords") guiding an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. 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 and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. On 24 June 2002, US President BUSH laid out a "road map" for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which envisions a two-state solution. However, progress toward a permanent status agreement has been undermined by Palestinian-Israeli violence ongoing since September 2000. The conflict may have reached a turning point with the election in January 2005 of Mahmud ABBAS as the new Palestinian leader following the November 2004 death of Yasir ARAFAT. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II, but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). In the second half of the 20th century, Spain has played a catch-up role in the western international community; it joined the EU in 1986. Continuing challenges include Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorism and further reductions in unemployment.
Birth rate 18.21 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 10.1 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $48.09 billion


expenditures: $52.11 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $383.7 billion


expenditures: $386.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $12.8 billion (2004 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 Madrid
Climate temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
Coastline 273 km 4,964 km
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 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
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: Kingdom of Spain


conventional short form: Spain


local short form: Espana
Death rate 6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 9.63 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $74.46 billion (2004 est.) $771.1 billion (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel C. KURTZER


embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63903


mailing address: PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830


telephone: [972] (3) 519-7369/7453/7454/7457/7458/7551/7575


FAX: [972] (3) 516-4390


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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires J. Robert MANZANARES


embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid


mailing address: PSC 61, APO AE 09642


telephone: [34] (91) 587-2200


FAX: [34] (91) 587-2303


consulate(s) general: Barcelona
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel AYALON


chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 364-5578


FAX: [1] (202) 364-5560


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos WESTENDORP


chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037


telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340


FAX: [1] (202) 833-5670


consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
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; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel announced its intention to pull out Israeli settlers and withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the northern West Bank in 2005; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights); since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in Jerusalem monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region in 2003, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to remain a British colony and against a "total shared sovereignty" arrangement while demanding participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; Morocco serves as the primary launching site of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa
Economic aid - donor - ODA, $1.33 billion (1999)
Economic aid - recipient $662 million from US (2003 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 substantial 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 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. The economy grew at 1% in 2003, with improvements in tourism and foreign direct investment. In 2004, rising business and consumer confidence - as well as higher demand for Israeli exports boosted GDP by 3.9%. The Spanish economy boomed from 1986 to 1990, averaging five percent annual growth. After a European-wide recession in the early 1990s, the Spanish economy resumed moderate growth starting in 1994. Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per capita basis is 80% that of the four leading West European economies. The center-right government of former President AZNAR successfully worked to gain admission to the first group of countries launching the European single currency (the euro) on 1 January 1999. The AZNAR administration continued to advocate liberalization, privatization, and deregulation of the economy and introduced some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment fell steadily under the AZNAR administration but remains high at 10.4%. Growth of 2.5% in 2003 and 2.6% in 2004 was satisfactory given the background of a faltering European economy. The socialist president, RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO, has initiated economic and social reforms that are generally popular among the masses of people but that are anathema to religious and other conservative elements. Adjusting to the monetary and other economic policies of an integrated Europe, reducing unemployment, and absorbing widespread social changes will pose challenges to Spain over the next few years.
Electricity - consumption 38.3 billion kWh (2002) 218.4 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 1.387 billion kWh (2002) 4.4 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 9.8 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 42.67 billion kWh (2002) 229 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m


highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 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 pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas; water quality and quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation; desertification
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
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.) composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types
Exchange rates new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001), 4.0773 (2000) euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)
Executive branch chief of state: President Moshe KATZAV (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 is largely a ceremonial role and is elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term; election last held 31 July 2000 (next to be held mid-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 scheduled to be held fall of 2006)


election results: Moshe KATZAV 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: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968


head of government: President of the Government and Prime Minister Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (since 17 April 2004); First Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister (and Minister of the Presidency) Maria Teresa FERNANDEZ DE LA VEGA (since 18 April 2004) and Second Vice President (and Minister of Economy and Finance) Pedro SOLBES (since 18 April 2004)


cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president


note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are non-binding


elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually proposed president by the monarch and elected by the National Assembly; election last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March 2008); vice presidents appointed by the monarch on the proposal of the president


election results: Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (PSOE) elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 52.29%
Exports NA 135,100 bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods
Exports - partners US 36.8%, Belgium 7.5%, Hong Kong 4.9% (2004) France 19.3%, Germany 11.7%, Portugal 9.6%, UK 9%, Italy 9%, US 4% (2004)
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 three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 2.8%


industry: 37.7%


services: 59.5% (2003 est.)
agriculture: 3.5%


industry: 28.5%


services: 68% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $20,800 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $23,300 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.9% (2004 est.) 2.6% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 31 30 N, 34 45 E 40 00 N, 4 00 W
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 strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
Heliports 3 (2004 est.) 8 (2004 est.)
Highways total: 16,903 km


paved: 16,903 km (including 56 km of expressways)


unpaved: 0 km (2002)
total: 664,852 km


paved: 658,203 km (including 11,152 km of expressways)


unpaved: 6,649 km (2001)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.4%


highest 10%: 28.3% (1997)
lowest 10%: 2.8%


highest 10%: 25.2% (1990)
Illicit drugs increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan; money-laundering center key European gateway country and consumer for Latin American cocaine and North African hashish entering the European market; destination and minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering site for European earnings of Colombian narcotics trafficking organizations
Imports NA 1.582 million bbl/day (2001)
Imports - commodities raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods; foodstuffs, consumer goods; measuring and medical control instruments
Imports - partners US 15%, Belgium 10.1%, Germany 7.5%, Switzerland 6.5%, UK 6.1% (2004) Germany 16.6%, France 15.8%, Italy 8.9%, UK 6.3%, Netherlands 4.8% (2004)
Independence 14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration) the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent kingdoms prior to the Moslem occupation that began in the early 8th century A. D. and lasted nearly seven centuries; the small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost immediately, culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain
Industrial production growth rate 4.5% (2004 est.) 3% (2004 est.)
Industries high-technology projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, construction, metals products, chemical products, plastics, diamond cutting, textiles and footwear textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism, clay and refractory products, footwear, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment
Infant mortality rate total: 7.03 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 7.77 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 6.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
total: 4.42 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 4.82 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 4 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 0% (2004 est.) 3.2% (2004 est.)
International organization participation BIS, BSEC (observer), CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, OAS (observer), OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Irrigated land 1,990 sq km (1998 est.) 36,400 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (justices appointed for life by the president) Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo
Labor force 2.68 million (2004 est.) 19.33 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6%, manufacturing 20.2%, construction 7.5%, commerce 12.8%, transport, storage, and communications 6.2%, finance and business 13.1%, personal and other services 6.4%, public services 31.2% (1996) agriculture 5.3%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 30.1%, services 64.6% (2004 est.)
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: 1,917.8 km


border countries: Andorra 63.7 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km
Land use arable land: 16.39%


permanent crops: 4.17%


other: 79.44% (2001)
arable land: 26.07%


permanent crops: 9.87%


other: 64.06% (2001)
Languages Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%; note - Castilian is the official language nationwide; the other languages are official regionally
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 civil law system, with regional applications; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 28 January 2003 (next scheduled to be held fall of 2006)


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 Assembly 2.3%, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya (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 Assembly 3, YBA 2, United Arab List 2
bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (259 seats - 208 members directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by the regional legislatures to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; members are elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation to serve four-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March 2008); Congress of Deputies - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March 2008)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PP 49%, PSOE 38.9%, Entesa Catalona de Progress 5.7%, CiU 1.99%, PNV 2.8%, CC 1.4%; seats by party - PP 102, PSOE 81, Entesa Catalona de Progress 12, CiU 4, PNV 6, CC 3; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PSOE 43.3%, PP 37.8%, CiU 3.2%, ERC 2.5%, PNV 1.6%, IU 3.2%, CC 0.9%; seats by party - PSOE 164, PP 148, CiU 10, ERC 8, PNV 7, IU 2, CC 3, other 8
Life expectancy at birth total population: 79.32 years


male: 77.21 years


female: 81.55 years (2005 est.)
total population: 79.52 years


male: 76.18 years


female: 83.08 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 95.4%


male: 97.3%


female: 93.6% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97.9%


male: 98.7%


female: 97.2% (2003 est.)
Location Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France
Map references Middle East Europe
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)
Merchant marine total: 17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 752,873 GRT/881,711 DWT


by type: cargo 1, container 16


registered in other countries: 48 (2005)
total: 182 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,740,974 GRT/2,157,551 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 22, chemical tanker 16, container 19, liquefied gas 8, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 47, petroleum tanker 20, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 25, vehicle carrier 7


foreign-owned: 29 (Cuba 2, Denmark 1, Germany 9, Italy 2, Norway 6, United States 7, Uruguay 2)


registered in other countries: 192 (2005)
Military branches Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Ground Corps, Navy, Air and Space Force (includes Air Defense Forces); historically there have been no separate Israeli military services Army, Navy, Air Force (Ejercito del Aire, EdA), Naval Infantry
Military expenditures - dollar figure $9.11 billion (FY03) $9,906.5 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 8.7% (FY02) 1.2% (2003)
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 National Day, 12 October
Nationality noun: Israeli(s)


adjective: Israeli
noun: Spaniard(s)


adjective: Spanish
Natural hazards sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes periodic droughts
Natural resources timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 0.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines gas 140 km; oil 1,509 km (2004) gas 7,306 km; oil 730 km; refined products 3,512 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) [Muhammad BARAKA]; Green Leaf Party (no longer active) [Boaz WACHTEL and Shlomi SANDAK]; Herut (no longer active) [Michael KLEINER]; Labor Party [Shimon PERES]; Likud Party [Ariel SHARON]; Meretz (merged with YAHAD) [Zahava GALON]; National Democratic Assembly (Balad) [Azmi BISHARA]; National Religious Party [Ephraim "Efie" EITAM]; National Union (Haichud Haleumi) [Avigdor LIBERMAN] (includes Tekuma Moledet and Yisra'el Beiteinu); One Nation [David TAL]; Shas [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Shinui [Yosef "Tommy" LAPID]; United Arab List [Abd al-Malik DAHAMSHAH]; United Torah Judaism [Yaakov LITZMAN]; YAHAD [Yossi BEILIN]; Yisra'el Ba'Aliya or YBA (merged with Likud) [Natan SHARANSKY] Basque Nationalist Party or PNV [Josu Jon IMAZ]; Canarian Coalition or CC (a coalition of five parties) [Paulino RIVERO Baute]; Convergence and Union or CiU [Artur MAS i Gavarro] (a coalition of the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia or CDC [Artur MAS i Gavarro] and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep Antoni DURAN y LLEIDA]); Entesa Catalonia de Progress (a Senate coalition grouping four Catalan parties - PSC, ERC, ICV, EUA) [leader NA]; Galician Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Anxo Manuel QUINTANA]; Party of Independents from Lanzarote or PIL [Dimas MARTIN Martin]; Popular Party or PP [Mariano RAJOY]; Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC [Josep-Lluis CAROD-ROVIRA]; Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO]; United Left or IU (a coalition of parties including the PCE and other small parties) [Gaspar LLAMAZARES]
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 business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977); Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; university students; Trade Union Confederation of Workers' Commissions or CC.OO.; Nunca Mas (Galician for "Never Again"; formed in response to the oil tanker Prestige oil spill)
Population 6,276,883


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 (July 2005 est.)
40,341,462 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 18% (2001 est.) NA
Population growth rate 1.2% (2005 est.) 0.15% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa Algeciras, Barcelona, Cartagena, Gijon, Huelva, La Coruna, Tarragona, Valencia
Radio broadcast stations AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998) AM 208, FM 715, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways total: 640 km


standard gauge: 640 km 1.435-m gauge (2004)
total: 14,781 km (7,718 km electrified)


broad gauge: 11,829 km 1.668-m gauge (6,950 km electrified)


standard gauge: 998 km 1.435-m gauge (998 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 1,926 km 1.000-m gauge (815 km electrified); 28 km 0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified) (2004)
Religions Jewish 76.5%, Muslim 15.9%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2003) Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
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 (2005 est.)
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 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: country code - 972; 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
general assessment: generally adequate, modern facilities; teledensity is 44 main lines for each 100 persons


domestic: NA


international: country code - 34; 22 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries
Telephones - main lines in use 3.006 million (2002) 17,567,500 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 6.334 million (2002) 37,506,700 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 17 (plus 36 low-power repeaters) (1995) 224 (plus 2,105 repeaters)


note: these figures include 11 television broadcast stations and 88 repeaters in the Canary Islands (1995)
Terrain Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north
Total fertility rate 2.44 children born/woman (2005 est.) 1.28 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 10.7% (2004 est.) 10.4% (2004 est.)
Waterways - 1,045 km (2003)
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