The
Gaza Stripthumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
is located in the
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
(at 31 25 N, 34 20 E) and consists of around 360sq km. It has an 11km border with
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, near the city of
RafahRafah , also known as Rafiah, is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. Located south of Gaza, Rafah's population of 71,003 is overwhelmingly made up of Palestinian refugees. Rafah camp and Tall as-Sultan form separate localities. Rafah is the district capital of the Rafah Governorate...
, and a 51km border with
IsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. It has a 40 km coastline onto the
Mediterranean SeaThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, but has no maritime claims due to Israeli administration.
The Gaza Strip has a
temperateIn geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
climate, with mild winters, and dry and hot summers, subject to
droughtA drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
. The terrain is flat or rolling, with
duneIn physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
s near the coast. The highest point is Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda), at 105 metres above sea level. Main resources are
arable landIn geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
(about a third of the strip is irrigated), and recently discovered
natural gasNatural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
. Environmental issues include
desertificationDesertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...
; salination of fresh water;
sewage treatmentSewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants...
; water-borne disease; soil degradation; and depletion and contamination of underground water resources.
Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel
Geographic coordinates:
31°25′N 34°20′E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total:
360 km²
land:
360 km²
water:
0 km²
Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC, or slightly more than the size of the BronxThe Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, New York (which also has a similar population)
Land boundaries:
total:
62 km
border countries:
Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km
Coastline:
40 km
Maritime claims:
Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation
Climate:
temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers
Terrain:
flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point:
Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m
Natural resources:
arable land
Land use:
arable land:
24%
permanent crops:
39%
permanent pastures:
0%
forests and woodland:
11%
other:
26% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land:
120 km² (1993 est.)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment
Geography - note:
there were 24 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Gaza Strip (August 1999 est.)
The source of this article is
wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the
GFDL.
