The Palestinian Authority refers to two separate land areas in the Middle East.

Gaza Strip

West Bank

The Gaza Strip (population 1,324,991 million) covers an area of 360 square kilometres bordering the Mediterranean Sea between Egypt and Israel. Its land boundaries border Egypt and Israel.

The West Bank(population 2,311,204 million) covers an area of 5,860 square kilometres bordering the Dead Sea. Its land boundaries border Jordan and Israel.

According to the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI), 2004, the Palestinian Authority is ranked 102/177 countries worldwide (value 0.726).¹ This places the Palestinian Authority in the group of countries with medium human development.