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 (1953-99). 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 gradual 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 2004 declared their commitment to accelerated economic and political reforms and the new cabinet includes an unprecedented four women as ministers.


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Location: Middle East northwest of Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates: 31 00 N 36 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 92,300 km²
Land: 91,971 km²
Water: 329 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries
Total: 1,635 km
Border countries: (5) 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
Extremes 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 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: droughts; periodic earthquakes

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


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Population: 5,611,202 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 2.67% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: 30% (2001 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Jordanian
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 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.)

Demographic profile

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.)

Dependency ratios

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/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 2.62 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: 6.59 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.15 male/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male/female
Total population: 1.1 male/female (2004 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 18.11 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 21.63 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 14.37 deaths/1000 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.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 600 (2003 est.)
Deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 91.3%
Male: 95.9%
Female: 86.3% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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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

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: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Prince HUSSEIN (born 1994), son of King ABDALLAH, is first in line to inherit the throne
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
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-Ahed Party [Khaldoun al-NASSER secretary general]; Al-Ajyal [Muhammad KHALAYLEH secretary general]; Ba'th Arab Progressive Party [Mahmood MA'AYTEH secretary general]; 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]; Democratic Arab Islamic Movement [Yusuf ABU BAKR president]; Green Party [Muhammad BATAYNEH secretary general]; Jordanian Democratic Left Party [Musa MA'AYTEH secretary] general; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'id Dhiyab Ali MUSTAFA 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]; Muslim Centrist Party [NA leader]; National Action (Haqq) Party [Muhammad al-ZUBI secretary general]; National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi MAJALI secretary general]; (Arab) Socialist Ba'th Party [Taysir al-HIMSI secretary general]; Pan-Arab (Democratic) Movement [Mahmud al-NUWAYHI secretary general]

International organization participation: ABEDA 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 MIGA MINUSTAH MONUC NAM OIC ONUB OPCW OSCE (partner) PCA UN UNAMSIL UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMEE UNMIK UNMIL UNMISET UNOCI UNOMIG UNRWA UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Karim Tawfiq KAWAR
In the us chancery: 3,504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 966-2,664
In the us fax: [1] (202) 966-3,110
From the us chief of mission: ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires David M. HALE
From the us embassy: Abdoun, Amman
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11,118 Jordan; Unit 70,200, Box 5, APO AE 9,892-0200
From the us telephone: [962] (6) 592-0101
From the us fax: [962] (6) 592-4,102

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 on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3.1% (2003 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,300 (2003 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.6%
Industry: 29%
Services: 67.4% (2003 est.)

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.)

Labor force: 1.36 million (2003)
By occupation agriculture: 5%
By occupation industry: 12.5%
By occupation services: 82.5% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate: 16% official rate; actual rate is 25%-30% (2001 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 30% (2001 est.)

Gini index

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)

Budget
Revenues: $2.397 billion
Expenditures: $3.587 billion, including capital expenditures of $582 million (2003 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 92.7% of GDP (2003)

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.4% (2003 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: $903 million (2003)

Exports: $2.908 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: clothing phosphates fertilizers potash vegetables manufactures pharmaceuticals
Partners: US 21.5% Iraq 17.6% Switzerland 6.5% India 6.5% Saudi Arabia 5.3% (2003)

Imports: $4.946 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: crude oil textile fabrics machinery transport equipment manufactured goods
Partners: Saudi Arabia 11.3% China 7.9% Germany 7.9% US 6.8% Iraq 6.5% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $7.683 billion (2003 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Jordanian dinars per US dollar - 0.709 (2003) 0.709 (2002) 0.709 (2001) 0.709 (2000) 0.709 (1999)


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Electricity
Production: 7.091 billion kWh (2001)
Consumption: 6.86 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 2 million kWh (2001)
Imports: 267 million kWh (2001)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 290 million m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 290 million m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 3.256 billion m³ (1 January 2002)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 622,600 (2003)
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

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .jo
Hosts: 3,160 (2004)
Users: 457,000 (2003)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $2,043 million (2003)
Percent of gdp: 20.2% (2003)

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: 17 (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 15
With paved runways over 3047 m: 7
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Heliports: 1 (2003 est.)

Pipelines: gas 10 km; oil 743 km (2004)

Railways
Total: 505 km
Narrow gauge: 505 km 1.050-m gauge (2003)

Roadways

Waterways

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 (2004 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: border dispute settled with Syria in 2004

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 1,740,170 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA))
Idps: 800,000 (1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2004)

Illicit drugs