*Ireland, Communications
Railroads:
Irish National Railways (CIE) operates 1,947 km 1.602-meter gauge,
government owned; 485 km double track; 37 km electrified
Highways: 92,294 km total; 87,422 km paved, 4,872 km gravel or crushed stone
Inland waterways:
limited for commercial traffic
Pipelines:
natural gas 225 km
Ports:
Cork, Dublin, Waterford
Merchant marine:
57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 154,647 GRT/186,432 DWT; includes 4
short-sea passenger, 33 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 4 container, 3 oil
tanker, 3 specialized tanker, 3 chemical tanker, 5 bulk
Airports:
total:
40
usable:
39
with permanent-surface runways:
13
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
6
Telecommunications:
modern system using cable and digital microwave circuits; 900,000
telephones; broadcast stations - 9 AM, 45 FM, 86 TV; 2 coaxial submarine
cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
*Ireland, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (Garda
Siochana)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 903,536; fit for military service 731,085; reach military
age (17) annually 33,932 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $569 million, 1-2% of GDP (1993 est.)
*Israel, Header
Affiliation:
(also see separate Gaza Strip and West Bank entries)
Note:
The Arab territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included
in the data below. As stated in the 1978 Camp David Accords and reaffirmed
by President Bush's post-Gulf crisis peace initiative, the final status of
the West Bank and Gaza Strip, their relationship with their neighbors, and a
peace treaty between Israel and Jordan are to be negotiated among the
concerned parties. The Camp David Accords further specify that these
negotiations will resolve the location of the respective boundaries. Pending
the completion of this process, it is US policy that the final status of the
West Bank and Gaza Strip has yet to be determined (see West Bank and Gaza
Strip entries). On 25 April 1982, Israel relinquished control of the Sinai
to Egypt. Statistics for the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are included in
the Syria entry.
*Israel, Geography
Location:
Middle East, bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and
Lebanon
Map references:
Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
20,770 km2
land area:
20,330 km2
comparative area:
slightly larger than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
total 1,006 km, Egypt 255 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79
km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km
Coastline:
273 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
to depth of exploitation
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
separated from Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank by the 1949 Armistice Line;
differences with Jordan over the location of the 1949 Armistice Line that
separates the two countries; West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli occupied
with status to be determined; Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; Israeli
troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; water-sharing issues with Jordan
Climate:
temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Terrain:
Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift
Valley
Natural resources:
copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, asphalt, manganese,
small amounts of natural gas and crude oil
Land use:
arable land:
17%
permanent crops:
5%
meadows and pastures:
40%
forest and woodland:
6%
other: 32%
Irrigated land:
2,140 km2 (1989)
Environment:
sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; limited arable land and
natural water resources pose serious constraints; deforestation
Note:
there are 175 Jewish settlements in the West Bank, 38 in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 18 in the Gaza Strip, and 14 Israeli-built
Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem
*Israel, People
Population:
4,918,946 (July 1993 est.)
note:
includes 102,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, 14,000 in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 4,000 in the Gaza Strip, and 134,000 in East
Jerusalem (1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.08% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
20.72 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
6.45 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
16.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
8.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
77.77 years
male:
75.72 years
female:
79.93 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.86 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Israeli(s)
adjective:
Israeli
Ethnic divisions:
Jewish 83%, non-Jewish 17% (mostly Arab)
Religions:
Judaism 82%, Islam 14% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian 2%, Druze and other
2%
Languages:
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most
commonly used foreign language
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1983)
total population: 92%
male:
95%
female:
89%
Labor force:
1.4 million (1984 est.)
by occupation:
public services 29.3%, industry, mining, and manufacturing 22.8%, commerce
12.8%, finance and business 9.5%, transport, storage, and communications
6.8%, construction and public works 6.5%, personal and other services 5.8%,
agriculture, forestry, and fishing 5.5%, electricity and water 1.0% (1983)