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Compare West Bank (2005) - Lebanon (2004)

Compare West Bank (2005) z Lebanon (2004)

 West Bank (2005)Lebanon (2004)
 West BankLebanon
Administrative divisions - 6 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beyrouth, Beqaa, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye
Age structure 0-14 years: 43.4% (male 530,197/female 504,794)


15-64 years: 53.2% (male 649,610/female 619,335)


65 years and over: 3.4% (male 34,803/female 46,876) (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 26.9% (male 517,356; female 496,888)


15-64 years: 66.3% (male 1,197,430; female 1,305,339)


65 years and over: 6.9% (male 117,930; female 142,275) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats
Airports 3 (2004 est.) 8 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 5


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area total: 5,860 sq km


land: 5,640 sq km


water: 220 sq km


note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
total: 10,400 sq km


land: 10,230 sq km


water: 170 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Delaware about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
Background The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which includes the Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January 1996, as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external and internal security and for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank that began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, were derailed by a second intifadah that broke out in September 2000. The resulting widespread violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel's military response, and instability within the Palestinian Authority continue to undermine progress toward a permanent agreement. Following the death of longtime Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT in November 2004, the election of his successor Mahmud ABBAS in January 2005 could bring a turning point in the conflict. Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions since 1991 and the end of the devastating 15-year civil war. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese have established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater say in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, the Lebanese have conducted several successful elections, most of the militias have been weakened or disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended central government authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, a radical Shia organization, retains its weapons. Syria maintains about 16,000 troops in Lebanon, based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Syria's troop deployment was legitimized by the Arab League during Lebanon's civil war and in the Ta'if Accord. Damascus justifies its continued military presence in Lebanon by citing Beirut's requests and the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000, however, encouraged some Lebanese groups to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. The passage of UNSCR 1559 in early October 2004 - a resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and end its interference in Lebanese affairs - further emboldened Lebanese groups opposed to Syria's presence in Lebanon.
Birth rate 32.37 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 19.31 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $676.6 million


expenditures: $1.155 billion, including capital expenditures of NA; note - these budget data include Gaza Strip (2003)
revenues: $4.414 billion


expenditures: $7.026 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
Capital - Beirut
Climate temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 225 km
Constitution - 23 May 1926, amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: West Bank
conventional long form: Lebanese Republic


conventional short form: Lebanon


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah


local short form: Lubnan
Currency - Lebanese pound (LBP)
Death rate 3.99 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 6.28 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $108 million (includes Gaza Strip) (1997 est.) $20.79 billion (2003 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US - chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey D. FELTMAN


embassy: Awkar, Lebanon


mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002


telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600


FAX: [961] (4) 544136
Diplomatic representation in the US - chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Farid ABBOUD


chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300


FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324


consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles
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 settlers and withdraw from four settlements in the northern West Bank in 2005; 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 Syrian troops in central and eastern Lebanon since October 1976; Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
Economic aid - recipient $2 billion (includes Gaza Strip) (2004 est.) $3.5 billion (pledges 1997-2001); $4.2 billion in soft loan pledges November 2002 Paris II Aid Conference (2002)
Economy - overview The West Bank - the larger of the two areas under the Palestine Authority - has experienced a general decline in economic growth and a degradation in economic conditions made worse since the second intifadah began in September 2000. The downturn has been largely the result of the Israeli closure policies - the imposition of border closures in response to security incidents in Israel - which disrupted labor and commodity market relationships. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in Palestine Authority areas resulted in the destruction of much capital plant, the disruption of administrative structure, and widespread business closures. Including the Gaza Strip, the UN estimates that more than 100,000 Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in Israeli settlements, or in joint industrial zones, have lost their jobs. International aid of $2 billion to the West Bank and Gaza strip in 2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy and allowed some reforms in the government's financial operations. Meanwhile, unemployment has continued at more than half the labor force. ARAFAT's death in 2004 leaves open more political options that could affect the economy. The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. Peace enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut, begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. Economic recovery was helped by a financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers. Family remittances, banking services, manufactured and farm exports, and international aid provided the main sources of foreign exchange. Lebanon's economy made impressive gains since the launch in 1993 of "Horizon 2000," the government's $20 billion reconstruction program. Real GDP grew 8% in 1994, 7% in 1995, 4% in 1996 and in 1997, but slowed to 1.2% in 1998, -1.6% in 1999, -0.6% in 2000, 0.8% in 2001, 1.5% in 2002, and 3% in 2003. During the 1990s, annual inflation fell to almost 0% from more than 100%. Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure. The government nonetheless faces serious challenges in the economic arena. It has funded reconstruction by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In order to reduce the ballooning national debt, the re-installed HARIRI government began an economic austerity program to rein in government expenditures, increase revenue collection, and privatize state enterprises. The HARIRI government met with international donors at the Paris II conference in November 2002 to seek bilateral assistance restructuring its domestic debt at lower rates of interest. While privatization of state-owned enterprises had not occurred by the end of 2003, massive receipts from donor nations stabilized government finances in 2002-04.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 7.44 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports NA kWh 1.183 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants 6.728 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m


highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m


highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m
Environment - current issues adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills
Environment - international agreements - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17% Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
Exchange rates new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001), 4.0773 (2000) Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2003), 1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001), 1,507.5 (2000), 1,507.84 (1999)
Executive branch - chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)


head of government: Prime Minister Omar KARAMI (since 21 October 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Issam FARES (since 23 October 2000)


cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly


elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term; election last held 15 October 1998 (next election date NA); note - on 3 September 2004 the National Assembly voted 96 to 29 to extend Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; the prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; by agreement, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shia Muslim


election results: For 15 October 1998 election: Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions
Exports $205 million f.o.b., includes Gaza Strip (2002) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper
Exports - partners Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2000) Switzerland 10.8%, UAE 10%, Saudi Arabia 7.5%, US 7.3%, Turkey 5.5%, Jordan 4.4% (2003)
Fiscal year calendar year (since 1 January 1992) calendar year
Flag description - three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width), and red with a green cedar tree centered in the white band
GDP - purchasing power parity - $17.82 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 9%


industry: 28%


services: 63%


note: includes Gaza Strip (2002 est.)
agriculture: 12%


industry: 21%


services: 67% (2000)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $800 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $4,800 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6% (2003 est.) 3% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 32 00 N, 35 15 E 33 50 N, 35 50 E
Geography - note landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 244 West Bank settlements and 29 East Jerusalem settlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts (August 2003 est.) Nahr el Litani only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity
Highways total: 4,500 km


paved: 2,700 km


unpaved: 1,800 km


note: Israelis have developed many highways to service Jewish settlements (1997 est.)
total: 7,300 km


paved: 6,198 km


unpaved: 1,102 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs - cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to European markets and for Middle Eastern consumption
Imports $1.5 billion c.i.f., includes Gaza Strip (2002) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities food, consumer goods, construction materials petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco
Imports - partners Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2000) France 13.4%, Germany 11.7%, Italy 10.7%, Syria 5.3%, China 5.2%, UK 4.9%, US 4.5% (2003)
Independence - 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Industrial production growth rate NA NA
Industries generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers banking; food processing; jewelry; cement; textiles; mineral and chemical products; wood and furniture products; oil refining; metal fabricating
Infant mortality rate total: 19.62 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.66 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 17.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
total: 25.48 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 28.21 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 22.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.2% (includes Gaza Strip) (2001 est.) 2.5% (2003 est.)
International organization participation - ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Irrigated land NA sq km 1,200 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch - four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime minister as needed)
Labor force 364,000 (2004) 1.5 million


note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 15%, industry 25%, services 60% (2004 est.) agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
Land boundaries total: 404 km


border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
total: 454 km


border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
Land use arable land: 16.9%


permanent crops: 18.97%


other: 64.13% (2001)
arable land: 16.62%


permanent crops: 13.98%


other: 69.4% (2001)
Languages Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood) Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Legal system - mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch - unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 27 August and 3 September 2000 (next to be held spring 2005)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by sect - Muslim 64 ( of which Sunnis 27, Shia 27, Druze 8, Alawite 2), Christian 64 (of which Maronite 34)
Life expectancy at birth total population: 73.08 years


male: 71.33 years


female: 74.95 years (2005 est.)
total population: 72.35 years


male: 69.91 years


female: 74.91 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 91.9%


male: 96.3%


female: 87.4% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 87.4%


male: 93.1%


female: 82.2% (2003 est.)
Location Middle East, west of Jordan Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria
Map references Middle East Middle East
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm
Merchant marine - total: 49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 198,602 GRT/248,313 DWT


by type: bulk 5, cargo 23, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, container 2, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 8, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 4, vehicle carrier 3


foreign-owned: Greece 7, India 1, Netherlands 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Spain 1, Syria 2


registered in other countries: 52 (2004 est.)
Military branches - Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force)
Military expenditures - dollar figure NA $541 million (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 4.8% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 1,049,097 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 643,050 (2004 est.)
National holiday - Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
Nationality noun: NA


adjective: NA
noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)


adjective: Lebanese
Natural hazards droughts dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources arable land limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land
Net migration rate 2.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines - oil 209 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders - political activity is organized along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist, consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated by religious, ethnic, clan, and economic considerations
Political pressure groups and leaders - NA
Population 2,385,615


note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2004 est.)
3,777,218 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 59% (2004 est.) 28% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 3.13% (2005 est.) 1.3% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors - Antilyas, Batroun, Beirut, Chekka, El Mina, Ez Zahrani, Jbail, Jounie, Naqoura, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0


note: the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts from an AM station in Ramallah on 675 kHz; numerous local, private stations are reported to be in operation (2000)
AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)
Railways - total: 401 km


standard gauge: 319 km 1.435-m


narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m


note: rail system was unusable because of damage during the civil war in the 1980s; short sections are operable (2003)
Religions Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8% Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant), other 1.3%


note: seventeen religious sects recognized
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female


total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage - 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: NA


international: NA


note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for communication services in the West Bank
general assessment: telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding well underway


domestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cable


international: country code - 961; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables
Telephones - main lines in use 301,600 (total for West Bank and Gaza Strip) (2002) 678,800 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 480,000 (cellular subscribers in both West Bank and Gaza Strip) (2003) 775,100 (2002)
Television broadcast stations NA 15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Total fertility rate 4.4 children born/woman (2005 est.) 1.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 27.2% (includes Gaza Strip) (2004 est.) 18% (1997 est.)
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