Map of Jordan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: For most of its history since independence from British administration in 1946 Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN (1953-1991). 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.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries:

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

Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil

Land use: arable land: 4%; permanent crops: 0.5%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 0.5%; other 94%; includes irrigated 0.5%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: 1.5-1.7 million Palestinians live on the East Bank (55-60% of the population), most are Jordanian citizens pplad3


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Population: 3,412,553 (July 1991), growth rate 4.2% (1991)

Nationality: noun--Jordanian(s; adjective--Jordanian

Ethnic groups: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%

Languages: Arabic (official; English widely understood among upper and middle classes

Religions: Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 8%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 46 births/1000 population (1991)

Death rate: 5 deaths/1000 population (1991)

Net migration rate: 1 migrants/1000 population (1991)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: lack of natural water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 38 deaths/1000 live births (1991)

Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 73 years female (1991)

Total fertility rate: 7.1 children born/woman (1991)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 80% (male 89%, female 70%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Amman

Administrative divisions: 8 governorates (muhafazat, singular--muhafazah; Al Balqa, Al Karak, Al Mafraq, Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa, Irbid, Maan

Dependent areas

Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration; formerly Trans-Jordan)

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 20

Executive branch: Chief of State--King HUSSEIN Ibn Talal I (since 11 August 1952; Head of Government--Prime Minister Tahir al-MASRI (since 17 June 1991)

Legislative branch: Jordan Arab Army, Royal Jordanian Air Force, Royal Jordanian Coast Guard, Public Security Force

Judicial branch: Court of Cassation

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador Hussein A. HAMMAMI; Chancery at 3,504 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 966-2,664; US--Ambassador Roger Gram HARRISON; Embassy on Jebel Amman, Amman (mailing address is P. O. Box 354, Amman, or APO New York 9,892; telephone [962] (6) 644-371

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), white, and green with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a small white seven-pointed star; the seven points on the star represent the seven fundamental laws of the Koran Jordan JordanJordan

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Jordan was a secondary beneficiary of the oil boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when its annual GNP growth averaged 10-12%. Recent years, however, have witnessed a sharp reduction in grant aid from Arab oil-producing countries and a dropoff in worker remittances, with national growth averaging 1-2%. Imports--mainly oil, capital goods, consumer durables, and foodstuffs--have been outstripping exports by roughly $2 billion annually, the difference being made up by aid, remittances, and borrowing. In mid-1989, the Jordanian Government agreed to implement an IMF austerity program designed to tackle the country's serious economic problems. The program sought to gradually reduce the government's budget deficit over the next several years and implement badly needed structural reforms in the economy. In return for agreeing to the IMF program, Jordan was granted IMF standby loans of over $100 million. Recognizing that it would be unable to cover its debt obligations, the government also began debt rescheduling negotiations with creditors in mid-1989. The onset of the Gulf crisis in August 1990 forced the government to shelve the IMF program and suspend most debt payments and rescheduling negotiations. Economic prospects for 1991 are especially gloomy, given the unsettled conditions in the Middle East.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for only 5% of GDP; principal products are wheat, barley, citrus fruit, tomatoes, melons, olives; livestock--sheep, goats, poultry; large net importer of food

Industries: phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash, light manufacturing

Industrial production growth rate: - 15% (1990 est.), accounts for 20% of GDP

Labor force: 572,000 (1988; agriculture 20%, manufacturing and mining 20% (1987 est.)

Unemployment rate: 30% (January 1991 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $1.05 billion; expenditures $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $0.9 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
Commodities: fruits and vegetables, phosphates, fertilizers
Partners: Iraq, Saudi Arabia, India, Kuwait, Japan, China, Yugoslavia, Indonesia

Imports: $2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.)
Commodities: crude oil, textiles, capital goods, motor vehicles, foodstuffs
Partners: EC, US, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Turkey, Romania, China, Taiwan

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $8 billion (December 1990 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1--0.6670 (January 1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3709 (1988), 0.3387 (1987), 0.3499 (1986), 0.3940 (1985)


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Electricity
Capacity: 981,000 kW capacity; 3,500 million kWh produced, 1,180 kWh per capita (1989)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: $377 million, 12.4% of GNP (1990)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 19 total, 16 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil, 209 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 22,870 GRT/38,187 DWT; includes 1 bulk, 1 cargo

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: differences with Israel over the location of the 1949 Armistice Line which separates the two countries

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs