Palestine

  

This country is part of the Altverse II universe.

Republic of Palestine جمهورية فلسطين (Arabic) Jumhuriat Filastin
Flag Coat of arms
Capital and largest city	Yafa 32°03′08″N, 34°45′11″E
Official languages	Arabic
Ethnic groups (2018)	89.25% Arab 3.24% Armenian 2.78% Kurd 2.01% Chechen 1.69% Assyrian 1.03% Others
Religion	90.44% Islam (official) 7.84% Christianity 1.01% Bahaʼi 0.71% Druzism
Demonym(s)	Palestinian
Government	Unitary single-party republic
• General Secretary of the PNA & President	Mehmud Nassar Halaby
• Prime Minister	Jablah K. K. Beshara
Area
• Total	116,132 km2 (44,839 sq mi)
• Water (%)	0.99%
Population
• 2020 estimate	15,817,199
• 2018 census	15,595,758
• Density	136.20/km2 (352.8/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$719.018 billion
• Per capita	$45,258
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$543.899 billion
• Per capita	$34,387
Gini (2017)	44.33 medium
HDI (2019)	0.916 very high
Currency	Palestinian Dinar (PSD)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+970
ISO 3166 code	PS
Internet TLD	.ps

Palestine, officially the Islamic Republic of Palestine,

Etymology

The origins of the word “Palestine” has been debated widely by the etymological community. However, a widely accepted theory is that the word is derived from the ancient Egyptian and Hebrew word “פּיליסהית” (“peleshet”)—which roughly translates to “rolling” or “migratory”, and was used to describe the inhabitants of the land in northeastern Egypt: Philistines. A derivative of the word “Palestine” first appeared in ancient Greek records when historian Herodotus described the region inhabited by the Philistines as “Palaistine”.

When Judaism was at its peak, the area came to be known as “Syria Palaestina”, following the merger Roman Syria and Roman Judea after the Bar Kokhba revolt. The name remained until the Byzantine period, during which it was known as “Palaestina Prima”, “Palaestina Secunda”, and “Palaestina Salutaris”. The Muslim administration that followed continued to use Byzantine terms, but in Arabic. The name eventually evolved into the modern word “Palestine” in Early Modern English}, and was used widely during the Mutasarrifate Administration of Jerusalem. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the concession of the area thereafter, it became known as its present-day name— “Islamic Republic of Palestine” or simply “Palestine”.