World Facts Index
 Following
World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the UK received a mandate
to govern much of the Middle East. Britain separated out a semi-autonomous
region of Transjordan from Palestine in the early 1920s, and the area gained its
independence in 1946; it adopted the name of Jordan in 1950. The country's
long-time ruler was King HUSSEIN (1953-99). A pragmatic leader, he successfully
navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various
Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, despite
several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he reinstituted parliamentary elections
and gradual political liberalization; in 1994 he signed a peace treaty with
Israel. King ABDALLAH II, the son of King HUSSEIN, assumed the throne following
his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power
and undertaken an aggressive economic reform program. Jordan acceded to the
World Trade Organization in 2000, and began to participate in the European Free
Trade Association in 2001. Municipal elections were held in July 2007 under a
system in which 20% of seats in all municipal councils were reserved by quota
for women. Parliamentary elections were held in November 2007 and saw
independent pro-government candidates win the vast majority of seats. In
November 2007, King Abdallah instructed his new prime minister to focus on
socioeconomic reform, developing a healthcare and housing network for civilians
and military personnel, and improving the educational system.
Geography of Jordan
|
Location:
|
Middle East, northwest of
Saudi Arabia |
|
Coordinates:
|
31 00 N, 36 00 E |
|
Area:
|
total: 92,300 sq km
water: 329 sq km
land: 91,971 sq km |
|
Area comparative:
|
slightly smaller than
Indiana |
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 1,635 km
border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 744
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 |
|
Natural hazards:
|
droughts; periodic
earthquakes |
|
Environment current issues:
|
limited natural fresh water
resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification |
|
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
|
Population of Jordan
|
Population:
|
6,198,677 (July 2008 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 33.8% (male 1,018,070/female 976,442)
15-64 years: 62.4% (male 1,966,794/female 1,716,255)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 111,636/female 117,563) |
|
Median age:
|
23 years |
|
Growth rate:
|
2.49% |
|
Infant mortality:
|
16.76 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 78.4 years
male: 75.9 years
female: 81.05 years |
|
Fertility rate:
|
2.63 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 and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox,
Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several small Shi'a Muslim and
Druze populations) |
|
Languages:
|
Arabic (official), English widely
understood among upper and middle classes |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 91.3%
male: 95.9%
female: 86.3%
|
Government
|
Country name:
|
conventional long form: Hashemite
Kingdom of Jordan
local short form: Al Urdun
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah
former: Transjordan |
|
Government type:
|
constitutional monarchy |
|
Capital:
|
'Amman |
|
Administrative divisions:
|
12 governorates (muhafazat, singular -
muhafazah); Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az
Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba |
|
Independence:
|
25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate
under British administration) |
|
National holiday:
|
Independence Day, 25 May (1946) |
|
Constitution:
|
8 January 1952 |
|
Legal system:
|
based on Islamic law and French codes;
judicial review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
|
Suffrage:
|
18 years of age; universal |
|
Executive branch:
|
chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7
February 1999); Prince HUSSEIN (born 1994), eldest son of King ABDALLAH II, is
considered to be first in line to inherit the throne
head of government: Prime Minister Nader al-DAHABI (since 25 November 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the
monarch
elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch. |
|
Legislative branch:
|
bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of
the Senate, also called the House of Notables (Majlis al-Ayan) (55 seats; members
appointed by the monarch from designated categories of public figures; members serve
four-year terms) and the House of Representatives, also called the House of Deputies
(Majlis al-Nuwaab) (110 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of
proportional representation to serve four-year terms); note - six seats are reserved for
women and are allocated by a special electoral panel if no women are elected
note: the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved by the monarch
several times since 1974; in November 1989, the first parliamentary elections in 22 years
were held; political parties were not legalized until 1992; King ABDALLAH delayed the 2001
elections until 2003 |
|
Judicial branch:
|
Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of
final appeal) |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders:
|
Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president
vice chairman]; Jordanian Bar Association [Saleh ARMOUTI, president]; Jordanian Press
Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim Brotherhood [Salem AL-FALAHAT, secretary
general] |
Economy
Jordan is a small Arab country with insufficient supplies of water, oil,
and other natural resources. Poverty, unemployment, and inflation are
fundamental problems, but King ABDALLAH II, since assuming the throne in 1999,
has undertaken some broad economic reforms in a long-term effort to improve
living standards. Since Jordan's graduation from its most recent IMF program
in 2002, Amman has continued to follow IMF guidelines, practicing careful
monetary policy, making substantial headway with privatization, and opening
the trade regime. Jordan's exports have significantly increased under the free
trade accord with the US and Jordanian Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ),
which allow Jordan to export goods duty free to the US. In 2006, Jordan
reduced its debt-to-GDP ratio significantly. These measures have helped
improve productivity and have made Jordan more attractive for foreign
investment. Before the US-led war in Iraq, Jordan imported most of its oil
from Iraq. Since 2003, however, Jordan has been more dependent on oil from
other Gulf nations. The government ended subsidies for petroleum and other
consumer goods in 2008 in an effort to control the budget. The main challenges
facing Jordan are reducing dependence on foreign grants, reducing the budget
deficit, attracting investments, and creating jobs.
|
GDP:
|
$28.45 billion (2007 est.) |
|
GDP growth rate:
|
6.1% |
|
GDP per capita:
|
$4,700 |
|
GDP composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 3.3%
industry: 28.7%
services: 68% |
|
Inflation rate:
|
4.5% |
|
Labor force:
|
1.46 million |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture: 5%
industry: 12.5%
services: 82.5% |
|
Unemployment:
|
12.5% official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30 |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $2.8 billion
expenditures: $4.688 billion |
|
Electricity production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 99.4%
hydro: 0.6%
other: 0% |
|
Industries:
|
textiles, phosphate mining, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals,
petroleum refining, cement, potash, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing, tourism |
|
Agriculture:
|
wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons,
olives; sheep, goats, poultry |
|
Exports:
|
clothing, phosphates, fertilizers, potash,
vegetables, manufactures, pharmaceuticals |
|
Export partners:
|
US 29.5%, Iraq 15.1%, India 8.8%, Saudi Arabia 5.7% |
|
Imports:
|
crude oil, textile fabrics, machinery,
transport equipment, manufactured goods |
|
Import partners:
|
Saudi Arabia 20.1%, China 8%, Germany 7.3%, US 6.3% |
|
Currency:
|
Jordanian dinar (JOD) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |