Palestine
- This country is part of the Altverse II universe.
Republic of Palestine جمهورية فلسطين (Arabic) Jumhuriat Filastin | |
|---|---|
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 Area highlighted in green is controlled by the Republic of Palestine. | |
| 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 7.84% Christianity 1.01% Bahaʼi 0.71% Druzism |
| Demonym(s) | Palestinian |
| Government | Unitary single-party republic |
| Mehmud Nassar Halaby | |
| Jablah K. K. Beshara | |
| Area | |
• Total | 176,846 km2 (68,281 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 0.99% |
| Population | |
• 2020 estimate | 15,817,199 |
• 2018 census | 15,595,758 |
• Density | 88.19/km2 (228.4/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) |
 0.916very 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 |
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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— “Republic of Palestine” or simply “Palestine”.