Israel

Official Name:

State of Israel (Israel)

Area:

20.770 km ²

Population (2007):

6.426.679 inhabitants

Coastline:

273 km

Capital:

Jerusalem

Maritime Ports and terminals:

Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa

Maritime claims:

• Territorial sea: 12 nm
• Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

Political divisions:

6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

Language(s):

Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language

National holiday:

Independence Day, 14 May (1948)

Nationality:

Israeli(s)

Official time:

UTC 2.

Member of:

BIS, BSEC (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OAS (observer), OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Internet country code:

.il

Economic Profile

Currency:

New Israeli shekel (ILS)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

USD26.800 (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

(2006 est.) USD 140.300.000.000

PIB (Real growth rate:

4,8% (2006 est.)

GDP (Composition by sector): (2006 est.)

• Agriculture: 2,6%
• Industry: 30,8%
• Services: 66,6%

Labor force:

2.600.000 (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation (1996):

• Agriculture forestry, and fishing 1.8%
• Transport, storage, and communications 6.3%
• Manufacturing 15,7%
• Construction 5,3%
• Wholesale and retail trade 12,9%
• Finance and business 16,9%
• Personal and other services 11,5%
• Public services 28,6%

Unemployment rate:

8,3% (2006 est.)

Inflation rate (Consumer prices):

-0,1% (2006 est)

Investment (Gross Fixed):

17,3% del PIB (2006 est.)

Budget:

• Revenues: USD48.400.000.000
• Expenditures: USD49.570.000.000

Public debt:

89% of GDP (2006 est.)

Current account balance:

USD 1.463.000.000 (2006 est.)

Exports:

USD 42.860.000.000 FOB (2006 est.)

Exports - Commodities:

Machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel

Exports - Partners:

US 36,5%, Belgium 8,7%, Hong Kong 5,6% (2005)

Imports:

USD 47.800.000.000 FOB (2006 est.)

Imports - Commodities:

Raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods

Imports - partners:

US 13,4%, Belgium 10,1%, Germany 6,4%, UK 5,7%, Switzerland 5,5%, China 4,2% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

USD 28.200.000.000 (2006 est.)

Debt - external:

USD 81.980.000.000 (2006)