_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March; changing to calender year basis starting January 1992

_*Communications #_Railroads: 594 km 1.435-meter gauge, single track; diesel operated

_#_Highways: 4,500 km; majority is bituminous surfaced

_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 708 km; refined products, 290 km; natural gas, 89 km

_#_Ports: Ashdod, Haifa, Elat

_#_Merchant marine: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 516,714 GRT/611,795 DWT; includes 7 cargo, 21 container, 2 refrigerated cargo; note—Israel also maintains a significant flag of convenience fleet, which is normally at least as large as the Israeli flag fleet; the Israeli flag of convenience fleet typically includes all of its POL tankers

_#_Civil air: 27 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 51 total, 44 usable; 26 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: most highly developed in the Middle East though not the largest; good system of coaxial cable and radio relay; 1,800,000 telephones; stations—11 AM, 24 FM, 54 TV; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations—2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT

_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Israel Defense Forces includes ground, naval, and air components; historically there have been no separate Israeli military services