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Jordan
Physical. Located in the Middle East, Jordan is northwest of Saudi
Arabia, east of Israel, and south of Syria and Iraq. It covers an area slightly
smaller than Indiana. The terrain is mostly a desert plateau in the east and a
highland area in the west. The desert region is dry and arid and the western
highlands have a rainy season from November to April. Arable land comprises 4%
of Jordan's terrain. Natural resources include phosphates, potash and shale oil.
People. More than 5.9 million people live in Jordan. Arabic is the
official language, while English is understood among the middle and upper
classes. Jordan's population is overwhelmingly Arabic (98%) with Circassian and
Armenian minorities. In religious practices, 92% of the population is Sunni
Muslims and 6% is Christian.
Government. The country is officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom
of Jordan. The nation is divided into 12 administrative divisions called
governorates. The capital, Amman, is located in the northwestern sector of the
country. Jordan gained its independence from a League of Nations mandate on May
25,1946, and ratified its constitution January 8, 1952. Jordan is a
constitutional monarchy and has no elections as both the prime minister and
cabinet are appointed to office. King Hussein had been the monarch since
independence and was succeeded by his son on his death in 1999. Jordan hosts a
number of political parties including the Al-Ahrar (Freedom) Party, the Arab
Ba’th Progressive Party, the Arab Islamic Democratic Party and the Islamic
Action Front.
Economy. 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 WTO (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. Its GDP is composed of: agriculture (4%),
industry (30%) and services (67%).
Areas of Concern. Limited fresh water, deforestation, overgrazing,
desertification and soil erosion are the environmental concerns. Conflict in
Iraq affects Jordan very deeply. Economic issues are: debt, poverty, and 30%
unemployment (although the official rate is 12.5%).
For more information on Jordan you may write to the chancery at 3504
International Drive NW, Washington D.C. 20008; check the U.S. State Department
or World Factbook country sites; or type in the country's name on the Internet
using a broad-based World Wide Web search engine.
Jordan statistics
Geography
Area: 92,300 sq km
Capital: Amman; (1.6 million)
Environmental concerns: limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Geographical features: mostly desert plateau in east and highland area in west;
the Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
Climate: mostly arid desert with a rainy season (November to April) in the west
People
5,907,000 (July 2006 est.) Arab (98%), Circassian (1%), Armenian (1%)
Annual growth rate: 2.49% (2006 est.)
Major languages are Arabic (official) though English widely understood among
upper and middle classes.
Religions: Sunni Muslim (92%), Christian (6%) (majority Greek Orthodox), other
2% (2001 est.)
Health and social issues
Life expectancies: male 76; female 81
Infant mortality: 16.76 deaths/1,000 live births
Population below the poverty line: 30% (2001)
1 physicians for 616 people (2004)
HIV/AIDS Rate in Adults: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
91.3% of adults were literate in 2003
Compulsory education (Ages): 6-16 years; free (2004)
Communication and transportation
617,300 (2004) main telephone lines in use
600,000 (2005) Internet users
7,364 km of roadways
505 km railroads
17 (2005) airfields
265,000 motor vehicles (2004)
Government
Jordan is a constitutional democracy.
The chief of state is King Abdallah II (since 7 February 1999); and the head of
government is Prime Minister Marouf Suleiman Bakhit (since 24 November 2005).
Universal suffrage at 20
Military
Military expenditures as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is
11.4% (2005 est.).
Current disputes: 2004 Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pending
demarcation and Jordan is home to refugees: 1,827,877 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA))
IDPs: 168,000 (1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2005)
Economy
Currency: Jordanian dinar
Per capita GDP: $4,700 (2005 est.)
GDP: $26.8 billion (2005 est.)
GDP growth rate: 6.1% (2005 est.)
Inflation rate: 5% (2005 est.)
Labor force: agriculture (5%), industry (12.5%) services (82.5%) (2001 est.))
Resources and industry
Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil
Agriculture: wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats,
poultry
Industry: textiles, phosphate mining, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, petroleum
refining, cement, potash, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing, tourism
Exports: $4.226 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports: $8.681 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Suggested web sites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/jotoc.html
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