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
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified : Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: there are 203 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 1996 est.)
@Israel:People
Population: 5,534,672 (July 1997 est.) note: includes 136,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, 15,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 5,000 in the Gaza Strip, and 156,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1996 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 28% (male 803,792; female 766,224) 15-64 years : 62% (male 1,711,668; female 1,708,700) 65 years and over: 10% (male 234,902; female 309,386) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.01% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 20.16 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 6.22 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 6.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)