* βeta
Jordan
Background :
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. Jordan lost the West Bank to Israel in the 1967 war and barely managed to defeat Palestinian rebels who threatened to overthrow the monarchy in 1970. King HUSSEIN in 1988 permanently relinquished Jordanian claims to the West Bank. In 1989, he reinstituted parliamentary elections and initiated a gradual political liberalization; political parties were legalized in 1992. 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. In 2003, Jordan staunchly supported the Coalition ouster of Saddam in Iraq and following the outbreak of insurgent violence in Iraq, absorbed thousands of displaced Iraqis. 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.
Location :
Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia
Geographic Coordinates Center :
31 00 N, 36 00 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 34.96 |
| North | 33.37 |
| East | 39.30 |
| South | 29.19 |
Map references :
Middle East
Area :
| total | 89 342 | square km |
| land | 88 802 | square km |
| water | 540 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 1 635 | km |
| Iraq (iq) | 181 | km |
| Israel (il) | 238 | km |
| Saudi Arabia (sa) | 744 | km |
| Syria (sy) | 375 | km |
| West Bank | 97 | km |
Coastline :
26.00 km
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 | 408 | metres |
| highest point | 1 854 | metres |
Natural resources :
| phosphates | potash |
| shale oil |
Land use :
| arable land | 3.32 | % |
| permanent crops | 1.18 | % |
| other | 95.50 | % |
Irrigated land :
750 square km
Total renewable water resources :
0 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| droughts | periodic earthquakes |
current issues :
limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Hazardous Wastes |
| Law of the Sea | Marine Dumping |
| Ozone Layer Protection | Wetlands |
Population :
6 269 285
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 2.19 | % |
| Birth rate | 27.38 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 3.46 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 2.61 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | -2.87 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 36.00 | % |
| 15-64 years | 59.40 | % |
| 65 years and over | 4.60 | % |
Median age :
| total | 24.30 | years |
| male | 25.00 | years |
| female | 23.60 | years |
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 | 0.93 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 1.10 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 17.38 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 79.85 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 78.60 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 81.18 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 0.10 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 600 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 500 |
Religions :
| Sunni Muslim | 92.00 | % |
| Christian | 6.00 | % |
| other | 2.00 | % |
Languages :
| Arabic | |
| English widely understood among upper |
Literacy :
| total population | 89.90 | % |
| male | 95.10 | % |
| female | 84.70 | % |
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 |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | JO |
| ISO Numeric | 400 |
| ISO3 | JOR |
| FIPS | JO |
| ccTLD | jo |
| English | Jordan |
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
Capital :
| name | Amman |
| geographic coordinates | 31 57 N, 35 56 E |
| time difference | 2.00 |
| daylight saving time | 1 |
International organization participation :
| ABEDA | AFESD |
| AMF | CAEU |
| CICA | FAO |
| G-77 | IAEA |
| IBRD | ICAO |
| ICC | ICCt |
| ICRM | IDA |
| IDB | IFAD |
| IFC | IFRCS |
| ILO | IMF |
| IMO | IOC |
| IOM | IPU |
| ISO | ITSO |
| ITU | ITUC |
| Interpol | LAS |
| MIGA | MINURSO |
| MINUSTAH | MONUC |
| NAM | OIC |
| OPCW | OSCE (partner) |
| PCA | UN |
| UNAMID | UNCTAD |
| UNESCO | UNHCR |
| UNIDO | UNMIL |
| UNMIS | UNOCI |
| UNRWA | UNWTO |
| UPU | WCO |
| WFTU | WHO |
| WIPO | WMO |
| WTO |
Independence :
1946-05-25
National holiday :
Independence Day
1946-05-25
Executive branch :
| King ABDALLAH II | Prime Minister Samir al-RIFAI |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 33 060 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 22 560 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 3.10 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 5 300 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 3.70 | % |
| industry | 29.90 | % |
| services | 66.50 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 2.70 | % |
| industry | 20.00 | % |
| services | 77.40 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 1 667 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 13.50 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 14.20 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 39.70 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.70 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 31.20 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 1 401 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 10 290 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 6 715 000 000 | $ |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 17 810 000 000 | $ |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 35 850 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 8.60 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 69.90 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 3.00 | % |
| highest 10% | 30.70 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 5 545 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 8 223 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| citrus | cucumbers |
| dairy | olives |
| poultry | sheep |
| stone fruits | strawberries |
| tomatoes |
Industries :
| cement | clothing |
| fertilizer | inorganic chemicals |
| light manufacturing | petroleum refining |
| pharmaceuticals | phosphate mining |
| potash | tourism |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 12 210 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 10 400 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Exports | 176 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Imports | 200 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 108 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 108 200 | bbl/day |
| Oil Proved reserves | 1 000 000 | bbl |
| Natural gas Production | 250 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Consumption | 2 970 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Imports | 2 720 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Electricity Exports | 6 031 000 000 | cubic metres |
Value :
6 989 000 000 $
Partners :
| India (in) | 16.20 | % |
| Iraq (iq) | 16.10 | % |
| United States (us) | 13.10 | % |
| Saudi Arabia (sa) | 6.90 | % |
| UAE | 4.60 | % |
Commodities :
| clothing | fertilizers |
| pharmaceuticals | phosphates |
| potash | vegetables |
Value :
12 310 000 000 $
Partners :
| Saudi Arabia (sa) | 21.10 | % |
| China (cn) | 10.40 | % |
| Germany (de) | 6.00 | % |
| United States (us) | 4.60 | % |
| Egypt (eg) | 4.50 | % |
| Ukraine (ua) | 4.30 | % |
Commodities :
| cereals | iron |
| machinery | petroleum |
| transportation equipment |
Currency-code :
JOD
Currency-name :
Jordanian dinar
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 519 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 5 314 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 31 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 22 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | jo | |
| Internet Hosts | 28 896 | |
| Internet Users | 1 500 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 15 | |
| Heliports | 1 | |
| Pipelines - gas | 439 | km |
| Pipelines - oil | 49 | km |
| Roadways - total | 8 002 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 8 002 | km |
| Railways | 507 | km |
Flag
| Photos provided by
are under the copyright of their owners
|