About
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, 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. 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 established his domestic priorities, including an aggressive economic reform program. Jordan acceded to the World Trade Organization in January 2000, and signed free trade agreements with the United States in 2000, and with the European Free Trade Association in 2001.
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
water: 329 sq km
land: 91,971 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: 2.87%
permanent crops: 1.52%
other: 95.61% (1998 est.)
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, Nuclear Test Ban, 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
Population
5,307,470 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 36.6% (male 991,370; female 949,247)
15-64 years: 60% (male 1,698,568; female 1,485,261)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 90,186; female 92,838) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate
2.89% (2002 est.)
Birth rate
24.58 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate
2.62 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate
6.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate
19.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 77.71 years
female: 80.3 years (2002 est.)
male: 75.26 years
Total fertility rate
3.15 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
0.02% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
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: 86.6%
male: 93.4%
female: 79.4% (1995 est.)
Country name
conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
conventional short form: Jordan
local short form: Al Urdun
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah
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
20 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999);
head of government: Prime Minister Nader Dahabi
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch
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 significant headway with privatization. The government also has liberalized the trade regime sufficiently to secure Jordan's membership in the WTrO (2000), an association agreement with the EU (2000), and a free trade accord with US (2000). These measures have helped improve productivity and have put Jordan on the foreign investment map. The substantial trade deficit is covered by tourism receipts, worker remittances, and foreign assistance. Ongoing challenges include fiscal adjustment to reduce the budget deficit and broader investment incentives to promote job-creating ventures.
GDP
purchasing power parity - $22.8 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
3.5% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $4,300 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 4%
industry: 26%
services: 70% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line
30% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 30% (1997) (1997)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
36 (1997)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.3% (2002 est.)
Labor force
1.26 million
note: in addition, at least 300,000 workers are employed abroad (2001)
Labor force - by occupation
services 83%, industry 13%, agriculture 5% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate
16% official rate; actual rate is 25%-30% (2001 est.)
Budget
revenues: $2.9 billion
expenditures: $3.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Industries
phosphate mining, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, potash, light manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, tourism
Industrial production growth rate
-1.1% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production
6.932 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 99%
hydro: 1%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption
7.092 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports
5 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports
650 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products
Wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats, poultry
Exports
$2.5 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities
phosphates, fertilizers, potash, agricultural products, manufactures, pharmaceuticals
Exports - partners
India 11.4%, US 9.6%, Saudi Arabia 5.6%, Israel 3.7% (2001)
Imports
$4.4 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities
crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, food, live animals, manufactured goods
Imports - partners
Germany 8.8%, US 7.8%, Italy 5.6%, France 5.5% (2001)
Debt - external
$8.2 billion (2002 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
ODA, $600 million (2000 est.)
Currency
Jordanian dinar (JOD)
Currency code
JOD
Exchange rates
Jordanian dinars per US dollar - 0.7090 (1996-present )
note: since May 1989, the Jordanian dinar has been pegged to a group of currencies
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
403,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular
11,500 (1995)
Telephone system
general assessment: 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
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: 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)
Radios
1.66 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations
20 (plus 96 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions
500,000 (1997)
Internet country code
.jo
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
5 (2000)
Internet users
212,000 (2002)
Railways
total: 677 km
narrow gauge: 677 km 1.050-m gauge (2001)
Highways
total: 8,000 km
paved: 8,000 km
unpaved: 0 km (2000 est.)
Waterways
none
Pipelines
crude oil 209 km; note - may not be in use
Ports and harbors
Al 'Aqabah
Merchant marine
total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 41,206 GRT/53,401 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 3, container 1, roll on/roll off 2
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Greece 6 (2002 est.)
Airports
18 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
under 914 m: 1 (2002)
914 to 1,523 m: 1
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2002)
Heliports
2 (2002)
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
18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability
males age 15-49: 1,517,751 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service
males age 15-49: 1,073,991 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually
males: 57,131 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure
$757.5 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
8.6% (FY01)
