The Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip is a piece of land on the Mediterranean Sea that lies between the countries of Egypt and Israel.Gaza Strip, a region on the southeastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea between Israel and the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. It was established by the Egyptian-Israeli armistice agreement in 1949 as a home for Palestinian refugees displaced by the creation of Israel. The strip is about 25 miles (40 km) long and 5 to 7 miles (8 to 11 km) wide, with an area of 146 square miles (378 km 2 ). It is on a semiarid, mostly barren coastal plain. Gaza is the principal city.
There has been little economic development in the Gaza Strip. Farming and livestock raising are difficult, and industry is virtually nonexistent. Many of the people live in extreme poverty in camps.
By the armistice agreement the Gaza Strip was placed under Egyptian administration in 1949. During the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1956, it was occupied by Israel, but was returned to Egyptian control the following year. The strip was again captured by Israel in the Six Day War of 1967. It remained under Israeli occupation until 1994, when, following a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the strip was given limited autonomy under PLO control. In 2004, Israel announced a plan to remove Israeli settlers from the Gaza Strip, giving control over to the Palestinians.
The estimated population of the Gaza Strip is about 1,428,000.