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Palestine flag
State of Palestine
Dawlat Filastin
   Palestine is located in the Middle East and consists of two distinct parts, the larger West Bank to the northeast of the Dead Sea and the Gaza Strip, which is smaller and stretches along the Mediterranean Sea reaching the border with Egypt in the south-west. Palestine is not yet an independent state in all respects, due to the Israeli occupation which has lasted since 1967. Despite the UN resolutions, which recognize the rights of the Palestinian people, all attempts to resolve the conflict through diplomatic channels are so far failed, with even a worse situation from the end of 2023; since 29 November 2012 it has become a non-member observer state of the UN.
Government type Semi-presidential republic
Area 6,025 km² (2,326 sq mi)
Area 5,660 km² (2,185 sq mi) West Bank
Area 365 km² (141 sq mi) Gaza Strip
Population 4,781,000 inh. (2017 census)
Population 5,750,000 inh. (2026 est.)
Population 3,420,000 inh. West Bank
Population 2,330,000 inh. Gaza Strip
Population density 954 inh/km² (2,472 inh/mi²)
Capital East Jerusalem (462,000 pop.)
Currency Israeli new shekel
Currency Egyptian pound
Currency Jordanian dinar
Human development index 0.674 (133rd place)
Languages Arabic (official), Hebrew
Life expectancy M 73 years, F 76 years
Location in Asia

Boundaries:

Israel NORTH, WEST and SOUTH (West Bank) and EAST (Gaza Strip)
Jordan EAST (West Bank)
Egypt SOUTH-WEST (Gaza Strip)
Mediterranean Sea NORTH-WEST (Gaza Strip)

GEOGRAPHY DATA OF PALESTINE


Largest cities
Gaza 500,000 pop., 1,962,000 urban aggl.
East Jerusalem 462,000 pop.
Rafah 380,000 pop.
Hebron 225,000 pop.
Khan Yunis 210,000 pop.
Nabulus 175,000 pop.
Highest mountains
Nabi Yunis 1,030 m (3,379 ft)
Longest rivers
Jordan River 250 km (155 mi), including parts in Syria, Jordan and Israel
Largest lakes
Dead Sea 600 km² (232 sq mi) total, with sections in Jordan and Israel

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS OF PALESTINE

   Administratively, Palestine is divided into 16 governorates (11 in the West Bank, 5 in the Gaza Strip); Hebron, with an area of almost one thousand square kilometers, is the largest and most populated governorate, just in front of Gaza, which however has an area that is over ten times smaller.

   Gaza and East Jerusalem are the two largest cities in Palestine, with the first having over half a million inhabitants; as can be seen clearly in the second map, in the Gaza Strip there is a greater concentration of relevant urban centers, while some parts of the West Bank are sparsely populated.



Jerusalem



Useful links

Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
Visit Palestine