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General
Information
Palestine lies on the south west of Asia on the southern
part of the Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Coast. Thus, it
lies in the heart of the so called ancient world,
namely, Asia, Africa and Europe, which makes it a land
bridge linking Asia with Africa and the Mediterranean
Sea with the Red Sea and the Atlantic Ocean with the
Indian Ocean.
Area
Palestine lies on the western edge of the Asian
continent and the eastern extremity of the Mediterranean
Sea. The geographic location has historically given
Palestine religious, cultural and economic importance as
it joins the three continents of the ancient world. This
is a land at the crossroads of history and the heart of
a global network of land, air and sea routes.
Palestinian Territories: 6,020 Km2
West Bank 5,655 Km2; 130 Km long
and 40-65 Km in width
Gaza 365 Km2; 45 Km long and 5-12
Km in width
Flag
Population
Today’s Palestinians are direct descendants of the Arab
people and share their culture, language and history.
Recent history has been far from generous with the
Palestinian people. Due to imperialism and the continued
colonization that the Palestinians have had to endure in
the past 50 years, the majority of the Palestinian
people live in the Diaspora. Palestinians number
approximately 9 million of which more than 4 million in
the Diaspora and around 3.7 million are residing in the
West Bank and Gaza. Over 1.4 million Palestinian live
inside the Green Line Area (1948 Occupied Territories).
Population growth rate in the Palestinian Territories is
around 3.3%.
Government System
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was established
on the basis of the Declaration of Principles signed
between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and
Israel on Sept. 13, 1993 and governs Palestinian affairs
in self-rule areas. It consists of the elected President
(Mahmoud Abbas), the appointed cabinet (Ministerial
Board) and the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).
www.pna.gov.ps
Capital and Principal Main Cities
The City of Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine.
Principal main cities include: Gaza, Ramallah, Nablus,
Hebron, Jenin, Rafah, Khan Younis, Tulkarem, Qalqilia.
Bethlehem and Jericho.
Languages
Arabic is the official language of the Palestinian
Territories. However, Palestinians are multilingual
people, with English being widely spoken and used in
business. Several other languages such as Hebrew,
French, German, Italian and Spanish are also widely
spoken.
Religion
Palestine is the Holy Land for three monotheistic
religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Bethlehem
and Palestinians celebrated the year 2000 commemorating
the occasion of the birth of Jesus Christ. Palestine is
also the place where Prophet Mohammed ascended to
heaven. Islam has dominated the culture of Palestine for
the past 1400 years. The city of Bethlehem has long been
a destination for Christian pilgrims from all points of
the globe, whereas Jerusalem is still the world’s
biggest religious attraction for Moslem, Christian and
Jewish pilgrims.
Currency
The Palestinian National Authority has no national
currency. Palestinian banks accept deposits and
withdrawals of foreign currencies. Major currencies that
are used in Palestine include the Jordanian Dinar and
the Israeli Shekel. Moreover, the US Dollar is quickly
becoming the most popular currency for both deposits and
credits in the Banks.
Climate
Mediterranean – hot, dry summers and short, wet, cool
winters. Mountainous areas usually have cool summer
nights. Because of regional differences, temperature and
rainfall vary depending on the topographic area. Areas
include the coastal plain, Jordan valley, eastern
slopes, central highlands, and semi-coastal zone. Rain
usually falls in the period between November and March
with occasional snowstorms in the mountainous areas.
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