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 lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m
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 sq km (1989)
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
natural hazards: sandstorms may occur during spring and summer
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change,
Desertification, Marine Life Conservation
Geographic note: there are 202 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 24 in the Gaza Strip, and 26 in East Jerusalem (August 1995 est.)
People ———
Population: 5,421,995 (July 1996 est.)
note: includes 127,600 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, 14,800 in
the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 5,000 in the Gaza Strip, and
153,700 in East Jerusalem (August 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 29% (male 793,712; female 756,735)
15-64 years: 62% (male 1,670,082; female 1,669,481)
65 years and over: 9% (male 230,082; female 301,903) (July 1996 est.)