Gaza Strip

I

Introduction

Gaza Strip, Palestinian-administered territory in the Middle East, bordered on the south by Egypt, on the west by the Mediterranean Sea, and to the east and north by Israel. The area of the Gaza Strip is 360 sq km (139 sq mi); its shape and size are the result of a 1949 armistice agreement between Israel and Egypt signed after the first Arab-Israeli War. Currently the Gaza Strip is ruled as an autonomous zone under the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). The principal city is Gaza.

II

Land and Resources

The Gaza Strip is a narrow territory extending up from the northern Sinai Peninsula into Israel’s Mediterranean coastal plain. The Strip has a 40-km (25-mi) coastline, an 11-km (7-mi) boundary with Egypt, and a 51-km (32-mi) boundary with Israel; its width varies between 6 and 14 km (3.7 and 9 mi). The Gaza Strip is largely flat and sandy, with dunes pushing in from the coast, particularly in the south. Rainfall diminishes from north to south within an annual range of between 150 mm (6 in) and 400 mm (16 in). The Strip has little fertile soil, and only 13 per cent of the land arable. A small port exists in Gaza City, and fishing fleets work the coastline, which has a number of sandy beaches and fishing villages.

III

Population

Poverty, crime, and overcrowding are pervasive in the Gaza Strip. The region has one of the highest overall growth rates and population densities in the world: it supports approximately 1,482,000 (2007) people; precise numbers are as yet unknown, with significant discrepancies in the estimates offered by Israel, the United Nations, the Palestinians, and others. Population density is approximately 3,822 people per sq km (9,899 per sq mi). Gaza’s population is divided into categories according to residential status: indigenous Gazans, permanently settled refugees, and residents of refugee camps. Around 52 per cent of Gazans live in urban centres. Indigenous Gazans comprise only 40 per cent of the area’s total population, though they hold disproportionate influence in economic and political affairs. All the residents of the Gaza Strip are Palestinian Arabs, the overwhelming majority being Sunni Muslims, the remainder Christian. The primary language of the Palestinians is Arabic. The Gaza Strip has an extremely high population growth rate of over 5 per cent, and as a result some 60 per cent of the population is under the age of 15. Infant mortality is 32 per 1,000 live births, and average life expectancy 72 years.

IV

Economy

Economically the Gaza Strip continues to be dependent on Israel, which is its primary trading partner and is also the foremost provider of employment for Gazans. Due to Islamic custom, Gazan women are generally restricted to homemaking or local cottage industries. Family income is earned by men and older boys, many of whom worked in construction (33 per cent), service industries (36 per cent), a variety of industrial tasks (10 per cent), or agriculture (20 per cent). Roughly 40 per cent of these positions were inside Israel; unfortunately, border closures have disrupted the flow of workers to jobs in Israel. This has caused severe hardship for the Palestinian population since approximately 35 per cent of Gaza’s gross national product (GNP) came from wages earned in Israel. Only 23 per cent of the population is economically active. After the transfer of power to the Palestinian National Council in January 1996, Israeli border closures continued to cause economic damage. Unemployment in the Gaza Strip rose to 40 per cent, and the numbers of Gazans employed in Israel declined steeply. The opening in March 1996 of a new industrial zone on the border did little to improve matters, and emergency UN work schemes and relief measures were instituted.

Industry is limited and on a small scale, most of it centred in the city of Gaza, which also maintains a small port primarily for the local fishing fleet. The Gaza International Airport opened in 1998, as part of a long-term proposal to boost the economy, and there are plans to build a bigger Palestinian port. Agriculture and livestock raising dominated the economy of the Gaza Strip for centuries and continue to support many Gazans. Principal crops grown in the region include citrus fruits, vegetables, and other field crops. Palestinian exports of citrus fruit to Europe have increased in recent years, but, due to the limited land and water available, agriculture alone cannot support the population of Gaza.