Map of Jordan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

top of page


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.


top of page


Location: Middle East northwest of Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates: 31 00 N 36 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries

Coastline: 26 km

Maritime claims

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

Irrigated land: 630 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

Geography


top of page


Population: 4,998,564 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 3.1% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: 30% (1998 est.)

Nationality

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

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

Religions: Sunni Muslim 96% Christian 4% (1997 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.1% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 26.24 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 2.63 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 7.4 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 21.11 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 3.44 children born/woman (2000 est.)

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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name

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

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate (a 40-member body appointed by the monarch from designated categories of public figures; members serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (80 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch: Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal)

Political parties and leaders: Al-Ahrar (Freedom) Party [Dr. Ahmad ZO'BI secretary general]; Arab Ba'th Progressive Party [Mahmoud al-MA'AYTAH secretary general]; Arab Islamic Democratic Party (Doa'a) [Yousif ABU BAKR secretary general]; Arab Jordanian Ansar Party [Muhammad MAJALI secretary general]; Arab Land Party [Dr. Muhammad al-'ORAN secretary general]; Democratic Party of the Left [Musa MA'AITAH secretary general]; Islamic Action Front [Abd-al-Latif ARABIYAT secretary general]; Jordanian Arab Constitutional Front Party [Milhem TELL secretary general]; Jordanian Arab New Dawn Party [leader NA]; Jordanian Ba'th Arab Socialist Party [Tayseer al-HOMSI secretary general]; Jordanian Communist Party [Ya'acoub ZAYADIN secretary general]; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'eed MUSTAPHA secretary general]; Jordanian Labor Party [Muhammad KHATAYIBAH secretary general]; Jordanian Peace Party [Dr. Shaher KHREIS secretary general]; Jordanian People's Democratic Party or HASHD [Salem NAHHAS secretary general]; Al-Mustaqbal (Future) Party [Suleiman 'ARAR secretary general]; National Action Party or Haqq [Muhammad ZO'BI secretary general]; National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi MAJALI secretary general]; National Democratic Public Movement Party [Muhammad al-'AMER secretary general]; Progressive Party [Na'el BARAKAT secretary general]; Al-Umma (Nation) Party [Ahmad HNEIDI secretary general]; The Generations [Hamad al-KHALAYLA chairman]

International organization participation: ABEDA ACC AFESD AL AMF CAEU CCC ESCWA FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICFTU ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM (observer) ISO (correspondent) ITU NAM OIC OPCW OSCE (partner) PCA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMIBH UNMIK UNMOP UNMOT UNOMIG UNRWA UNTAET UPU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview: Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil. The Persian Gulf crisis which began in August 1990 aggravated Jordan's already serious economic problems forcing the government to shelve the IMF program stop most debt payments and suspend rescheduling negotiations. Aid from Gulf Arab states worker remittances and trade contracted; and refugees flooded the country producing serious balance-of-payments problems stunting GDP growth and straining government resources. The economy rebounded in 1992 largely due to the influx of capital repatriated by workers returning from the Gulf. After averaging 9% in 1992-95 GDP growth averaged only 2% during 1996-99. In an attempt to spur growth King ABDALLAH has undertaken limited economic reform including partial privatization of some state owned enterprises and Jordan's entry in January 2000 into the World Trade Organization (WTrO). Debt poverty and unemployment are fundamental ongoing economic problems.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,500 (1999 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: wheat barley citrus tomatoes melons olives; sheep goats poultry

Industries: phosphate mining petroleum refining cement potash light manufacturing tourism

Industrial production growth rate: -3.4% (1996)

Labor force: 1.15 million
By occupation: industry 11.4% commerce restaurants and hotels 10.5% construction 10% transport and communications 8.7% agriculture 7.4% other services 52% (1992)

Unemployment rate: 15% official rate; actual rate is 25%-30% (1999 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 30% (1998 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3% (1999 est.)

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: $1.8 billion (f.o.b. 1999 est.)
Commodities: phosphates fertilizers potash agricultural products manufactures
Partners: Iraq India Saudi Arabia EU Indonesia UAE Lebanon Kuwait Syria Ethiopia

Imports: $3.3 billion (c.i.f. 1999 est.)
Commodities: crude oil machinery transport equipment food live animals manufactured goods
Partners: Germany Iraq US Japan UK Italy Turkey Malaysia Syria China

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $8.4 billion (1998 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 - 0.7090 (January 2000-1996) 0.7005 (1995)


top of page


Electricity
Production: 6.08 billion kWh (1998)
Consumption: 6.102 billion kWh (1998)
Exports: 2 million kWh (1998)
Imports: 450 million kWh (1998)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones
Main lines in use: 402,600 (1997)
Mobile cellular: 75,000 (1999)

Telephone system: service has improved recently with the 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

Broadcast media

Internet
Service providers isps: 8 (1999)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $608.9 million (FY98)
Percent of gdp: 7.8% (FY98)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 20 (1999 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 209 km; note - may not be in use

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


top of page


Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs