Definition Field Listing Rank
Order
Background: |
For most of its history since independence from
British administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN
(1953-99). 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, despite
several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he reinstituted
parliamentary elections and gradually political liberalization; in
1994 he signed a formal peace treaty 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 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. After a two-year delay, parliamentary and
municipal elections took place in the summer of 2003. The prime
minister and government appointed in October 2003 declared their
commitment to accelerated economic and political reforms and the new
cabinet includes an unprecedented three women as ministers.
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Location: |
Middle East,
northwest of Saudi Arabia |
Geographic coordinates: |
31 00 N, 36
00 E |
Map references: |
Middle
East |
Area: |
total:
92,300 sq km land: 91,971 sq km water: 329 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 |
Land use: |
arable
land: 2.67% permanent crops: 1.83% other:
95.5% (2001) |
Irrigated land: |
750 sq km
(1998 est.) |
Natural hazards: |
droughts;
periodic earthquakes |
Environment - current issues: |
limited
natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil
erosion; desertification |
Environment - international agreements: |
party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, 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 Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Population: |
5,611,202
(July 2004 est.) |
Age structure: |
0-14
years: 35.2% (male 1,009,604; female 967,645) 15-64
years: 61.1% (male 1,829,984; female 1,598,141) 65 years
and over: 3.7% (male 100,896; female 104,932) (2004 est.) |
Median age: |
total: 22.2 years male: 22.8 years
female: 21.5 years (2004 est.) |
Population growth rate: |
2.67% (2004
est.) |
Birth rate: |
22.73
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Death rate: |
2.62
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Net migration rate: |
6.59
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Sex ratio: |
at
birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.15 male(s)/female 65
years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population:
1.1 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Infant mortality rate: |
total:
18.11 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.63 deaths/1,000
live births female: 14.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2004
est.) |
Life expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 78.06 years male: 75.59 years
female: 80.69 years (2004 est.) |
Total fertility rate: |
2.86 children
born/woman (2004 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
less than
0.1% (2001 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
less than
1,000 |
HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
NA |
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) (2001 est.) |
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% (2003 est.) Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Country name: |
conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
conventional short form: Jordan local long
form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah local short
form: Al Urdun 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); Crown Prince
HAMZAH (half brother of the monarch, born 29 March 1980) head
of government: Prime Minister Faisal al-FAYEZ (since 25 October
2003) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in
consultation with the monarch elections: none; 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) elections: House
of Representatives - last held 17 June 2003 (next to be held NA
2007) election results: House of Representatives -
percent of vote by party - independents and others 89.6%, Islamic
Action Front 10.4%; seats by party - independents and others 92,
Islamic Action Front 18; note - one of the six quota seats was given
to a female IAF candidate 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 parties and leaders: |
Al-Umma
(Nation) Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH, secretary general]; Arab Land
Party [Dr. Muhammad al-'ORAN, secretary general]; Communist Party
[Munir HAMARINAH, secretary general]; Constitutional Front [Mahdi
al-TALL, secretary general]; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity
Party [Sa'id DHIYAB, secretary general]; Jordanian Progressive Party
[Fawwaz al-ZUBI, secretary general]; Jordanian People's Democratic
(Hashd) Party [Salim al-NAHHAS, secretary general]; Islamic Action
Front [Hazma MANSOUR, secretary general]; National Action (Haqq)
Party [Muhammad al-ZUBI, secretary general]; National Constitutional
Party [Abdul Hadi MAJALI, secretary general]; (Arab) Socialist Ba'th
Party [Taysif al-HIMSI, secretary general]; Pan-Arab (Democratic)
Movement [Mahmud al-NUWAYHI, secretary general] |
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 [Abd-al-Majid DHUNAYBAT, secretary general] |
International organization participation: |
ABEDA, ACC,
AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, LAS, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN,
UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET,
UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Karim Tawfiq KAWAR chancery: 3504
International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone:
[1] (202) 966-2664 FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110 |
Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Edward William GNEHM, Jr.
embassy: Abdoun, Amman mailing address: P. O.
Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; Unit 70200, Box 5, APO AE 09892-0200
telephone: [962] (6) 5906000 FAX: [962] (6)
5920121 |
Flag description: |
three equal
horizontal bands of black (top), representing the Abbassid
Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and green,
representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles triangle on the
hoist side, representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and bearing
a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven verses of the
opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven points on the
star represent faith in One God, humanity, national spirit,
humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations; design is based
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Economy - overview: |
Jordan is a
small Arab country with inadequate supplies of water and other
natural resources such as oil. Debt, poverty, and unemployment are
fundamental problems, but King ABDALLAH, since assuming the throne
in 1999, has undertaken some broad economic reforms in a long-term
effort to improve living standards. 'Amman in the past three years
has worked closely with the IMF, practiced careful monetary policy,
and made substantial headway with privatization. The government also
has liberalized the trade regime sufficiently to secure Jordan's
membership in the WTrO (2000), a free trade accord with the US
(2000), and an association agreement with the EU (2001). These
measures have helped improve productivity and have put Jordan on the
foreign investment map. The US-led war in Iraq in 2003 dealt an
economic blow to Jordan, which was dependent on Iraq for discounted
oil (worth $300-$600 million a year). Several Gulf nations have
provided temporary aid to compensate for the loss of this oil; when
this foreign aid expires, the Jordanian government has pledged to
raise retail petroleum product prices and the sales tax base. Other
ongoing challenges include fiscal adjustment to reduce the budget
deficit, broader investment incentives to promote job-creating
ventures, and the encouragement of tourism. |
GDP: |
purchasing
power parity - $23.64 billion (2003 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate: |
3.1% (2003
est.) |
GDP - per capita: |
purchasing
power parity - $4,300 (2003 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 3.6% industry: 29%
services: 67.4% (2003 est.) |
Investment (gross fixed): |
18.8% of GDP
(2003) |
Population below poverty line: |
30% (2001
est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage
share: |
lowest
10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 29.8% (1997) |
Distribution of family income - Gini
index: |
36.4 (1997)
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
2.4% (2003
est.) |
Labor force: |
1.36 million
(2003) |
Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture
5%, industry 12.5%, services 82.5% (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate: |
16% official
rate; actual rate is 25%-30% (2001 est.) |
Budget: |
revenues: $2.397 billion expenditures: $3.587
billion, including capital expenditures of $582 million (2003 est.)
|
Public debt: |
92.7% of GDP
(2003) |
Agriculture - products: |
wheat,
barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats, poultry
|
Industries: |
phosphate
mining, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, potash, light
manufacturing, tourism |
Industrial production growth rate: |
3.5% (2003
est.) |
Electricity - production: |
7.091 billion
kWh (2001) |
Electricity - consumption: |
6.86 billion
kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports: |
2 million
kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports: |
267 million
kWh (2001) |
Oil - production: |
40 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
Oil - consumption: |
103,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
Oil - exports: |
NA (2001)
|
Oil - imports: |
NA (2001)
|
Oil - proved reserves: |
445,000 bbl
(1 January 2002) |
Natural gas - production: |
290 million
cu m (2001 est.) |
Natural gas - consumption: |
290 million
cu m (2001 est.) |
Natural gas - exports: |
0 cu m (2001
est.) |
Natural gas - imports: |
0 cu m (2001
est.) |
Natural gas - proved reserves: |
3.256 billion
cu m (1 January 2002) |
Current account balance: |
$903 million
(2003) |
Exports: |
$2.908
billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
Exports - commodities: |
clothing,
phosphates, fertilizers, potash, vegetables, manufactures,
pharmaceuticals |
Exports - partners: |
US 19%, Iraq
18.6%, India 8.6%, Saudi Arabia 5% (2003 est.) |
Imports: |
$4.946
billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
Imports - commodities: |
crude oil,
textile fabrics, machinery, transport equipment, manufactured goods
|
Imports - partners: |
Iraq 12.5%,
Germany 7.8%, US 7.7%, China 7.2%, Italy 5.2%, France 4.7%, UK 4.5%
(2003 est.) |
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: |
$5.364
billion (2003) |
Debt - external: |
$7.683
billion (2003 est.) |
Economic aid - recipient: |
ODA, $553
million (2000 est.) |
Currency: |
Jordanian
dinar (JOD) |
Currency code: |
JOD |
Exchange rates: |
Jordanian
dinars per US dollar - 0.709 (2003), 0.709 (2002), 0.709 (2001),
0.709 (2000), 0.709 (1999) |
Fiscal year: |
calendar
year Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Telephones - main lines in use: |
622,600
(2003) |
Telephones - mobile cellular: |
1,325,300
(2003) |
Telephone system: |
general
assessment: service has improved recently with increased use of
digital switching equipment, but better access to the telephone
system is needed in the rural areas and easier access to pay
telephones is needed by the urban public domestic:
microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable
are employed on trunk lines; considerable use of mobile cellular
systems; Internet service is available international:
country code - 962; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat, 1
Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals; fiber-optic
cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and
Syria; connection to international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic
Link Around the Globe); participant in MEDARABTEL; international
links total about 4,000 |
Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 6, FM 5,
shortwave 1 (1999) |
Television broadcast stations: |
20 (plus 96
repeaters) (1995) |
Internet country code: |
.jo |
Internet hosts: |
3,160 (2004)
|
Internet users: |
457,000
(2003) Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Railways: |
total:
505 km narrow gauge: 505 km 1.050-m gauge (2003) |
Highways: |
total:
7,245 km paved: 7,245 km unpaved: 0 km (2000)
|
Pipelines: |
gas 10 km;
oil 743 km (2003) |
Ports and harbors: |
Al 'Aqabah
|
Merchant marine: |
total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 78,814 GRT/92,695 DWT
by type: cargo 2, container 1, roll on/roll off 5,
short-sea/passenger 1 foreign-owned: Greece 6
registered in other countries: 11 (2003 est.) |
Airports: |
17 (2003
est.) |
Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 15 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to
3,047 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m:
1 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2003 est.) |
Heliports: |
1 (2003
est.) Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Military branches: |
Jordanian
Armed Forces (JAF) (Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal Naval Force,
Royal Jordanian Air Force, and Special Operations Command or SOCOM);
note - Public Security Directorate normally falls under Ministry of
Interior but comes under JAF in wartime or crisis situations |
Military manpower - military age: |
17 years of
age (conscription at age 18 was suspended in 1999, although all
males under age 37 are required to register; recruits are accepted
from age 17) (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 1,636,537 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military
service: |
males age
15-49: 1,153,385 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age
annually: |
males: 59,471 (2004 est.) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure: |
$2,043.2
million (2003) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: |
20.2% (2003)
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Disputes - international: |
none
|
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