strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes has experienced an incredibly turbulent history; the town of Gaza itself has been besieged countless times in its history

People
Gaza Strip

Population:

1,500,202 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 44.7% (male 343,988/female 325,856) 15-64 years: 52.7% (male 403,855/female 386,681) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 16,196/female 23,626) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 17.2 years male: 17 years female: 17.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.422% (2008 est.)