Part 30

_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with three green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; the phrase Allahu Akbar (God is Great) in green Arabic script--Allahu to the right of the middle star and Akbar to the left of the middle star--was added in January 1991 during the Persian Gulf crisis; similar to the flag of Syria that has two stars but no script and the flag of Yemen that has a plain white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt that has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band

_*_Economy _#_Overview: The Bathist regime engages in extensive central planning and management of industrial production and foreign trade while leaving some small-scale industry and services and most agriculture to private enterprise. The economy has been dominated by the oil sector, which has provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. In the 1980s financial problems, caused by massive expenditures in the eight-year war with Iran and damage to oil export facilities by Iran, led the government to implement austerity measures and to borrow heavily and later reschedule foreign debt payments. After the end of hostilities in 1988, oil exports gradually increased with the construction of new pipelines and restoration of damaged facilities. Agricultural development remained hampered by labor shortages, salinization, and dislocations caused by previous land reform and collectivization programs. The industrial sector, although accorded high priority by the government, also was under financial constraints. Iraq's seizure of Kuwait in August 1990, subsequent international economic embargoes, and military actions by an international coalition beginning in January 1991 drastically changed the economic picture. Oil exports were cut to near zero, and industrial and transportation facilities severely damaged.

_#_GNP: $35 billion, per capita $1,940; real growth rate 5% (1989 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 30-40% (1989 est.)

_#_Unemployment rate: less than 5% (1989 est.)

_#_Budget: revenues $NA billion; expenditures $35 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1989)

_#_Exports: $12.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities--crude oil and refined products, fertilizer, sulfur;

partners--US, Brazil, Turkey, Japan, France, Italy, USSR (1989)

_#_Imports: $10.3 billion (c.i.f., 1989);

commodities--manufactures, food;

partners--US, FRG, Turkey, UK, Romania, Japan, France (1989)

_#_External debt: $40 billion (1989 est.), excluding debt to Arab Gulf states

_#_Industrial production: NA%; manufacturing accounts for 10% of GDP (1987)

_#_Electricity: 9,902,000 kW capacity; 20,000 million kWh produced, 1,110 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: petroleum, chemicals, textiles, construction materials, food processing

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 11% of GNP but 30% of labor force; principal products--wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, other fruit, cotton, wool; livestock--cattle, sheep; not self-sufficient in food output

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $3 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $627 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1980-90), more than $30 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $3.9 billion

_#_Currency: Iraqi dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Iraqi dinar (ID) = 1,000 fils

_#_Exchange rates: Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1--0.3109 (fixed rate since 1982)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 2,962 km total; 2,457 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 505 km 1.000-meter gauge

_#_Highways: 25,479 km total; 8,290 km paved, 5,534 km improved earth, 11,655 km unimproved earth

_#_Inland waterways: 1,015 km; Shatt al Arab usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km, but closed since September 1980 because of Iran-Iraq war; Tigris and Euphrates navigable by shallow-draft steamers (of little importance); Shatt al Basrah canal navigable in sections by shallow-draft vessels

_#_Ports: Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, Al Basrah

_#_Merchant marine: 43 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 944,253 GRT/1,691,368 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 1 passenger-cargo, 17 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 19 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker; note--since the 2 August 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi forces, Iraq has sought to register at least part of its merchant fleet under convenience flags; none of the Iraqi flag merchant fleet was trading internationally as of 1 January 1991

_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 4,350 km; 725 km refined products; 1,360 km natural gas

_#_Civil air: 64 major transport aircraft (including 30 IL-76s used by the Iraq Air Force)

_#_Airports: 111 total, 102 usable; 73 with permanent-surface runways; 9 with runways over 3,659 m; 52 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: good network consists of coaxial cables, radio relay links, and radiocommunication stations; 632,000 telephones; stations--9 AM, 1 FM, 81 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 GORIZONT Atlantic Ocean in the Intersputnik system; coaxial cable and radio relay to Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, and Turkey

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army and Republican Guard, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard Force, Internal Security Forces

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 4,270,592; 2,380,439 fit for military service; 228,277 reach military age (18) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP _%_ _@_Iraq - Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone _*_Geography _#_Total area: 3,520 km2; land area: 3,520 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Rhode Island

_#_Land boundaries: 389 km total; 191 km Iraq, 198 km Saudi Arabia

_#_Coastline: none--landlocked

_#_Maritime claims: none--landlocked

_#_Climate: harsh, dry desert

_#_Terrain: sandy desert

_#_Natural resources: none

_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other (sandy desert) 100%

_#_Environment: harsh, inhospitable

_#_Note: landlocked; located west of quadripoint with Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia

_*_People _#_Population: uninhabited

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none

_#_Type: joint administration by Iraq and Saudi Arabia; in December 1981, Iraq and Saudi Arabia signed a boundary agreement that divides the zone between them, but the agreement must be ratified before it becomes effective

_*_Economy _#_Overview: no economic activity

_*_Communications _#_Highways: none; some secondary roads

_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the joint responsibility of Iraq and Saudi Arabia _%_ _@_Ireland _*_Geography _#_Total area: 70,280 km2; land area: 68,890 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia

_#_Land boundary: 360 km with UK

_#_Coastline: 1,448 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: no precise definition;

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Disputes: Northern Ireland question with the UK; Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area)

_#_Climate: temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time

_#_Terrain: mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast

_#_Natural resources: zinc, lead, natural gas, crude oil, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone, dolomite, peat, silver

_#_Land use: arable land 14%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 71%; forest and woodland 5%; other 10%

_#_Environment: deforestation

_*_People _#_Population: 3,489,165 (July 1991), growth rate - 0.3% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: - 9 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 79 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Irishman(men), Irish (collective pl.); adjective--Irish

_#_Ethnic divisions: Celtic, with English minority

_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 93%, Anglican 3%, none 1%, unknown 2%, other 1% (1981)

_#_Language: Irish (Gaelic) and English; English is the language generally used, with Gaelic spoken in a few areas, mostly along the western seaboard

_#_Literacy: 98% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981 est.)

_#_Labor force: 1,293,000; services 57.0%, manufacturing and construction 26.1%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 15.0%, energy and mining 1.9% (1988)

_#_Organized labor: 36% of labor force

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none

_#_Type: republic

_#_Capital: Dublin

_#_Administrative divisions: 26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

_#_Independence: 6 December 1921 (from UK)

_#_Constitution: 29 December 1937; adopted 1937

_#_Legal system: based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

_#_National holiday: Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March

_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Oireachtas) consists of an upper house or Senate (Seanad Eireann) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Dail Eireann)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--President Mary Bourke ROBINSON (since 9 November 1990);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Charles J. HAUGHEY (since 12 July 1989, the fourth time elected as Prime Minister)

_#_Political parties and leaders: Fianna Fail, Charles HAUGHEY; Labor Party, Richard SPRING; Fine Gael, John BRUTON; Communist Party of Ireland, Michael O'RIORDAN; Workers' Party, Proinsias DEROSSA; Sinn Fein, Gerry ADAMS; Progressive Democrats, Desmond O'MALLEY; note--Prime Minister HAUGHEY heads a coalition consisting of the Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

President--last held 9 November 1990 (next to be held November 1997); results--Mary Bourke ROBINSON 52.8%, Brian LENIHAN 47.2%;

Senate--last held on 17 February 1987 (next to be held February 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(60 total, 49 elected) Fianna Fail 30, Fine Gael 16, Labor 3, Independents 11;

House of Representatives--last held on 12 July 1989 (next to be held NA June 1994); results--Fianna Fail 44.0%, Fine Gael 29.4%, Labor Party 9.3%, Progressive Democrats 5.4%, Workers' Party 4.9%, Sinn Fein 1.1%, independents 5.9%; seats--(166 total) Fianna Fail 77, Fine Gael 55, Labor Party 15, Workers' Party 7, Progressive Democrats 6, independents 6

_#_Communists: under 500

_#_Member of: BIS, CCC, CE, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NEA, OECD, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Padraic N. MACKERNAN; Chancery at 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 462-3939; there are Irish Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco;

US--Ambassador Richard A. MOORE; Embassy at 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin; telephone [353] (1) 688777

_#_Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar to the flag of the Ivory Coast which is shorter and has the colors reversed--orange (hoist side), white, and green; also similar to the flag of Italy which is shorter and has colors of green (hoist side), white, and red

_*_Economy _#_Overview: The economy is small, open, and trade dependent. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 37% of GDP and about 80% of exports and employs 26% of the labor force. The government has successfully reduced the rate of inflation from double-digit figures in the late 1970s to 3.3% in 1990. In 1987, after years of deficits, the balance of payments was brought into the black. Unemployment, however, is a serious problem. A 1990 unemployment rate of 16.6% placed Ireland along with Spain as the countries with the worst jobless records in Western Europe.

_#_GDP: $33.9 billion, per capita $9,690; real growth rate 4.1% (1990)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.3% (1990)

_#_Unemployment rate: 16.6% (1990)

_#_Budget: revenues $11.3 billion; expenditures $11.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (1990)

_#_Exports: $24.6 billion (f.o.b., 1990);

commodities--chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery, live animals, animal products;

partners--EC 74% (UK 34%, FRG 11%, France 10%), US 8%

_#_Imports: $20.7 billion (c.i.f., 1990);

commodities--food, animal feed, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, textiles, clothing;

partners--EC 66% (UK 41%, FRG 9%, France 4%), US 16%

_#_External debt: $16.0 billion (1990)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 4.7% (1990); accounts for 37% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 4,957,000 kW capacity; 14,480 million kWh produced, 4,080 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 10% of GNP and 15% of the labor force; principal crops--turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; livestock--meat and dairy products; 85% self-sufficient in food; food shortages include bread grain, fruits, vegetables

_#_Economic aid: donor--ODA commitments (1980-89), $90 million

_#_Currency: Irish pound (plural--pounds); 1 Irish pound (5Ir) = 100 pence

_#_Exchange rates: Irish pounds (5Ir) per US$1--0.5656 (January 1991), 0.6030 (1990), 0.7472 (1989), 0.6553 (1988), 0.6720 (1987), 0.7454 (1986), 0.9384 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: Irish National Railways (CIE) operates 1,947 km 1.602-meter gauge, government owned; 485 km double track; 38 km electrified

_#_Highways: 92,294 km total; 87,422 km surfaced, 4,872 km gravel or crushed stone

_#_Inland waterways: limited for commercial traffic

_#_Pipelines: natural gas, 225 km

_#_Ports: Cork, Dublin, Shannon Estuary, Waterford

_#_Merchant marine: 53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 138,967 GRT/164,628 DWT; includes 4 short-sea passenger, 31 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 3 container, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 specialized tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 6 bulk

_#_Civil air: 23 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 40 total, 37 usable; 18 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: small, modern system using cable and radio relay circuits; 900,000 telephones; stations--45 AM, 16 (29 relays) FM, 18 (68 relays) TV; 5 coaxial submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army (including Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (GARDA)

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 871,578; 705,642 fit for military service; 33,175 reach military age (17) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $458 million, 1.6% of GDP (1990 est.) _%_ _@_Israel (also see separate Gaza Strip and West Bank entries) _#_Note: The Arab territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the data below. As stated in the 1978 Camp David Accords and reaffirmed by President Reagan's 1 September 1982 peace initiative, the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, their relationship with their neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan are to be negotiated among the concerned parties. The Camp David Accords further specify that these negotiations will resolve the location of the respective boundaries. Pending the completion of this process, it is US policy that the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has yet to be determined (see West Bank and Gaza Strip entries). On 25 April 1982 Israel relinquished control of the Sinai to Egypt. Statistics for the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are included in the Syria entry.

_*_Geography _#_Total area: 20,770 km2; land area: 20,330 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than New Jersey

_#_Land boundaries: 1,006 km total; Egypt 255 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307, Gaza Strip 51 km

_#_Coastline: 273 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation;

Territorial sea: 6 nm

_#_Disputes: separated from Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank by the 1949 Armistice Line; differences with Jordan over the location of the 1949 Armistice Line which separates the two countries; West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli occupied with status to be determined; Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; water-sharing issues with Jordan

_#_Climate: temperate; hot and dry in desert areas

_#_Terrain: Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley

_#_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%; includes irrigated 11%

_#_Environment: sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; limited arable land and natural water resources pose serious constraints; deforestation

_#_Note: there are 175 Jewish settlements in the West Bank, 38 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 18 in the Gaza Strip, and 14 Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem

_*_People _#_Population: 4,477,105 (July 1991), growth rate 1.5% (1991); includes 90,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, 13,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 2,500 in the Gaza Strip, and 120,000 in East Jerusalem (1990 est.)

_#_Birth rate: 21 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 76 years male, 79 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Israeli(s); adjective--Israeli

_#_Ethnic divisions: Jewish 83%, non-Jewish (mostly Arab) 17%

_#_Religion: Judaism 82%, Islam (mostly Sunni Muslim) 14%, Christian 2%, Druze and other 2%

_#_Language: Hebrew (official); Arabic used officially for Arab minority; English most commonly used foreign language

_#_Literacy: 92% (male 95%, female 89%) age 15 and over can read and write (1983)

_#_Labor force: 1,400,000 (1984 est.); public services 29.3%; industry, mining, and manufacturing 22.8%; commerce 12.8%; finance and business 9.5%; transport, storage, and communications 6.8%; construction and public works 6.5%; personal and other services 5.8%; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 5.5%; electricity and water 1.0% (1983)

_#_Organized labor: 90% of labor force

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: State of Israel

_#_Type: republic

_#_Capital: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv

_#_Administrative divisions: 6 districts (mehozot, singular--mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

_#_Independence: 14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)

_#_Constitution: no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the basic laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law

_#_Legal system: mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December 1985 Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 10 May 1989; Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May

_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, vice prime minister, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral parliament (Knesset)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--President Chaim HERZOG (since 5 May 1983);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Yitzhak SHAMIR (since 20 October 1986)

_#_Political parties and leaders: Israel currently has a coalition government comprising eleven parties that hold 66 of the Knesset's 120 seats;

Members of the government--Likud bloc, Prime Minister Yitzhak SHAMIR; Sephardic Torah Guardians (SHAS), Minister of Interior Arieh DER'I; National Religious Party, Minister of Education Zevulun HAMMER; Agudat Yisrael, Moshe Zeev FELDMAN; Degel HaTorah, Avraham RAVITZ; Moriya, Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Yitzhak PERETZ; Ge'vlat Yisrael, Elizer MIZRAHI; Party for the Advancement of Zionist Ideology (PAZI), Minister of Finance Yitzhak MODAI; Tehiya Party, Minister of Science, Technology, Energy, and Infrastructure Yuval NE'EMAN; Tzomet Party, Minister of Agriculture Rafael EITAN; Unity for Peace and Aliyah, Efrayim GUR; Moledet Party, Rehavam ZE'EVI;

Opposition parties--Labor Party, Shimon PERES; Citizens' Rights Movement, Shulamit ALONI; United Workers' Party (MAPAM), Yair TZABAN; Center Movement-Shinui, Amnon RUBENSTEIN; New Israeli Communist Party (MAKI), Meir WILNER; Progressive List for Peace, Muhammad MI'ARI; Arab Democratic Party, Abd Al Wahab DARAWSHAH; Black Panthers, Charlie BITON

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

President--last held 23 February 1988 (next to be held February 1994); results--Chaim HERZOG reelected by Knesset;

Knesset--last held 1 November 1988 (next to be held by November 1992); seats--(120 total) Labor Party 38, Likud bloc 37, SHAS 5, National Religious Party 5, Citizens' Rights Movement 5, Agudat Yisrael 4, PAZI 3, MAKI 3, Tehiya Party 3, MAPAM 3, Tzomet Party 2, Moledet Party 2, Degel HaTorah 2, Center Movement-Shinui 2, Progressive List for Peace 1, Arab Democratic Party 1; Black Panthers 1, Moriya 1, Ge'ulat Yisrael 1, Unity for Peace and Aliyah 1

_#_Communists: Hadash (predominantly Arab but with Jews in its leadership) has some 1,500 members

_#_Other political or pressure groups: Gush Emunim, Jewish nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now, critical of government's West Bank/Gaza Strip and Lebanon policies

_#_Member of: AG (observer), CCC, EBRD, FAO, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Zalman SHOVAL; Chancery at 3514 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 364-5500; there are Israeli Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco;

US--Ambassador William A. BROWN; Embassy at 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv (mailing address is APO New York 09672); telephone [972] (3) 654338; there is a US Consulate General in Jerusalem

_#_Flag: white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Israel has a market economy with substantial government

## participation. It depends on imports for crude oil, food, grains, raw

materials, and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has developed its agricultural and industrial sectors on an intensive scale over the past 20 years. Industry accounts for about 23% of the labor force, agriculture for 5%, and services for most of the balance. Diamonds, high-technology machinery, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are the biggest export earners. The balance of payments has traditionally been negative, but is offset by large transfer payments and foreign loans. About half of Israel's $18 billion external government debt is owed to the US, which is its major source for economic and military aid. To earn needed foreign exchange, Israel must continue to exploit high-technology niches in the international market, such as medical scanning equipment. Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on 2 August dealt a blow to Israel's economy in 1990. Higher world oil prices added an estimated $300 million to Israel's 1990 oil import bill, and helped keep the inflation rate at 18% for the year. Regional tensions and continuing acts of the Palestinian uprising (intifadah)-related violence contributed to a sharp dropoff in tourism--a key source of foreign exchange--to the lowest level since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. In 1991, the influx of up to 400,000 Soviet immigrants will increase unemployment, intensify the country's housing crisis, and contribute to a widening budget deficit.

_#_GNP: $46.5 billion, per capita $10,500; real growth rate 3.5% (1990 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 18% (1990)

_#_Unemployment rate: 9.8% (March 1991)

_#_Budget: revenues $28.7 billion; expenditures $33.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY91)

_#_Exports: $10.7 billion (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities--polished diamonds, citrus and other fruits, textiles and clothing, processed foods, fertilizer and chemical products, military hardware, electronics;

partners--US, UK, FRG, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy

_#_Imports: $14.2 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.);

commodities--military equipment, rough diamonds, oil, chemicals, machinery, iron and steel, cereals, textiles, vehicles, ships, aircraft;

partners--US, FRG, UK, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg

_#_External debt: $24.5 billion, of which government debt is $18 billion (December 1990)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 1.5% (1989); accounts for about 40% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 4,392,000 kW capacity; 17,500 million kWh produced, 4,000 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, metal products, military equipment, transport equipment, electrical equipment, miscellaneous machinery, potash mining, high-technology electronics, tourism

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 5% of GNP; largely self-sufficient in food production, except for bread grains; principal products--citrus and other fruits, vegetables, cotton; livestock products--beef, dairy, and poultry

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $18.2 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $2.5 billion

_#_Currency: new Israeli shekel (plural--shekels); 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot

_#_Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--2.35 (May 1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946 (1987), 1.4878 (1986), 1.1788 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March; changing to calender year basis starting January 1992

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 594 km 1.435-meter gauge, single track; diesel operated

_#_Highways: 4,500 km; majority is bituminous surfaced

_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 708 km; refined products, 290 km; natural gas, 89 km

_#_Ports: Ashdod, Haifa, Elat

_#_Merchant marine: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 516,714 GRT/611,795 DWT; includes 7 cargo, 21 container, 2 refrigerated cargo; note--Israel also maintains a significant flag of convenience fleet, which is normally at least as large as the Israeli flag fleet; the Israeli flag of convenience fleet typically includes all of its POL tankers

_#_Civil air: 27 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 51 total, 44 usable; 26 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m