Background: For most of its history since independence from
British administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN
(1953-1999). A pragmatic ruler, he successfully navigated competing
pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states,
Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, through several wars
and coup attempts. In 1989 he resumed parliamentary elections and
gradually permitted political liberalization; in 1994 a formal peace
treaty was signed with Israel. King ABDALLAH II - the eldest son of King
HUSSEIN and Princess MUNA - assumed the throne following his father's
death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power and
established his domestic priorities.
Government
type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Amman
Currency: 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
Geography of Jordan
Location: Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 31 00 N, 36 00 E
Area:
total: 89,213 sq km
land: 88,884 sq km
water: 329 sq km
Land boundaries:
total: 1,619 km
border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 728 km, Syria 375 km,
West Bank 97 km
Coastline: 26 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)
Terrain: mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley
separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m
Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil
Land use:
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 1%
other: 85% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 630 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: droughts
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources;
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba
and as the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the
occupied West Bank.
People of Jordan
Jordanians are Arabs, except for a few small communities of Circassians,
Armenians, and Kurds which have adapted to Arab culture. The official
language is Arabic, but English is used widely in commerce and government.
About 70% of Jordan's population are urban; less than 6% of the rural
population is nomadic or seminomadic. Most people live where the rainfall
supports agriculture. About 1.5 million Palestinian Arabs registered as
refugees and displaced persons reside in Jordan, most as citizens.
Population: 5,759,732 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.23%
15-64 years: 59.44%
65 years and over: 3.33%
Population growth rate: 2.8%
Birth rate: 25.44 births/1,000 population
Death rate: 2.62 deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: 7.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: 20.36 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.53 years
male: 75.1 years
female: 80.12 years
Total fertility rate: 3.29 children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Jordanian(s)
adjective: Jordanian
Ethnic groups: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
Religions: Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox,
but some Greek Catholics, Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox,
Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several small
Shi'a Muslim and Druze populations) (2000 est.)
Languages: Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle
classes
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.6%
male: 93.4%
female: 79.4% (1995 est.)
SOURCES: The World Factbook, U.S. Department of State |