_#_Coastline: 40 km

_#_Maritime claims: Israeli occupied with status to be determined

_#_Disputes: Israeli occupied with status to be determined

_#_Climate: temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

_#_Terrain: flat to rolling, sand and dune covered coastal plain

_#_Natural resources: negligible

_#_Land use: arable land 13%, permanent crops 32%, meadows and pastures 0%, forest and woodland 0%, other 55%

_#_Environment: desertification

_#_Note: there are 18 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip

_*People #_Population: 642,253 (July 1991), growth rate 3.2% (1991); in addition, there are 2,500 Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip (1990 est.)