Egypt , Jordan , and Israel border the separated geographic entities of the Palestinian Territories (West-Bank and Gaza-strip). The Palestinian Territories has a Mediterranean climate and it covers an area of 6,170 sq. km (5,800 in WB and 370 in GS) but it lacks territorial continuity.
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) latest census, the total population in the Palestinian Territories was around 3 million in 1999. (WB=1,932,637 and GS=1,087,067). The figures in table 1 show that the total projected population for the Palestinian Territories in 2010 is expected to be around five million people if the population continues to grow at its historical growth rate (an annual growth rate of 4.9%).
Table 1
Population in the PalestinianTerritories (in millions)
Geographical Area |
99 |
00 |
01 |
02 |
03 |
04 |
05 |
06 |
07 |
08 |
09 |
10 |
WB (in millions) |
1.93 |
2.03 |
2.13 |
2.23 |
2.34 |
2.46 |
2.58 |
2.70 |
2.84 |
2.98 |
3.12 |
3.27 |
GS (in millions) |
1.09 |
1.14 |
1.20 |
1.26 |
1.32 |
1.38 |
1.45 |
1.52 |
1.59 |
1.67 |
1.75 |
1.84 |
Total |
3.02 |
3.17 |
3.33 |
3.49 |
3.66 |
3.84 |
4.03 |
4.22 |
4.43 |
4.65 |
4.88 |
5.11 |
Source:- The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 1999 Census (2000 – 2010 are forecasts).
According to the PCBS, the Palestinian population is very young with 46.5% aged less than 15 years old. The population is divided administratively into 14 districts (9 in the WB and 5 in the GS). The young population is the largest ICT potential target segment of the domestic users.
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