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West Bank vs. Israel

Geography

West BankIsrael
LocationMiddle East, west of Jordan, east of IsraelMiddle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
Geographic coordinates32 00 N, 35 15 E31 30 N, 34 45 E
Map referencesMiddle EastMiddle East
Areatotal: 5,860 sq km

land: 5,640 sq km

water: 220 sq km

note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
total: 21,937 sq km

land: 21,497 sq km

water: 440 sq km
Area - comparativeslightly smaller than Delawareslightly larger than New Jersey
Land boundariestotal: 478 km

border countries (2): Israel 330 km, Jordan 148 km
total: 1,068 km

border countries (6): Egypt 208 km, Gaza Strip 59 km, Jordan 327 km (20 km are within the Dead Sea), Lebanon 81 km, Syria 83 km, West Bank 330 km
Coastline0 km (landlocked)273 km
Maritime claimsnone (landlocked)territorial sea: 12 nm

continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Climatetemperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winterstemperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Terrainmostly rugged, dissected upland in west, flat plains descending to Jordan River Valley to the eastNegev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Elevation extremeshighest point: Khallat al Batrakh 1,020 m

lowest point: Dead Sea -431 m
highest point: Mitspe Shlagim 2,224 m; note - this is the highest named point, the actual highest point is an unnamed dome slightly to the west of Mitspe Shlagim at 2,236 m; both points are on the northeastern border of Israel, along the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range

lowest point: Dead Sea -431 m

mean elevation: 508 m note - does not include elevation data from the Golan Heights
Natural resourcesarable landtimber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand
Land useagricultural land: 43.3% (2018 est.)

arable land: 7.4% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 11% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 24.9% (2018 est.)

forest: 1.5% (2018 est.)

other: 55.2% (2018 est.)

note: includes Gaza Strip
agricultural land: 23.8% (2018 est.)

arable land: 13.7% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 3.8% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 6.3% (2018 est.)

forest: 7.1% (2018 est.)

other: 69.1% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land240 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2012)2,250 sq km (2012)
Natural hazardsdroughtssandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes
Environment - current issuesadequacy of freshwater supply; sewage treatmentlimited arable land and restricted natural freshwater resources; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
Geography - notelandlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are about 380 Israeli civilian sites, including about 213 settlements and 132 small outpost communities in the West Bank and 35 sites in East Jerusalem (2017)note 1: Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) is an important freshwater source; the Dead Sea is the second saltiest body of water in the world (after Lake Assal in Djibouti)

note 2: the Malham Cave in Mount Sodom is the world's longest salt cave at 10 km (6 mi); its survey is not complete and its length will undoubtedly increase; Mount Sodom is actually a hill some 220 m (722 ft) high that is 80% salt (multiple salt layers covered by a veneer of rock)

note 3: in March 2019, there were 380 Israeli settlements,to include 213 settlements and 132 outposts in the West Bank, and 35 settlements in East Jerusalem; there are no Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, as all were evacuated in 2005 (2019)
Total renewable water resources837 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
1.78 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Population distributionPalestinian settlements are primarily located in the central to western half of the territory; Jewish settlements are found in pockets throughout, particularly in the northeast, north-central, and around Jerusalempopulation concentrated in and around Tel-Aviv, as well as around the Sea of Galilee; the south remains sparsely populated with the exception of the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba

Source: CIA Factbook