Jordan

Location

• Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia, between Israel (to the west) and Iraq
• strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba; the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the West Bank; the Dead Sea, the lowest point in Asia and the second saltiest body of water in the world (after Lac Assal in Djibouti), lies on Jordan's western border with Israel and the West Bank; Jordan is almost landlocked but does have a 26 km southwestern coastline with a single port, Al 'Aqabah (Aqaba)

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Amman	1,275,857	Capital
Zarqa	792,665
Irbid	569,068
Russeifa	268,237
Ḩayy Khildā	251,000
Khuraybat as Sūq	186,158
Wādī as Sīr	181,212
Ar Ramthā	155,693
Ṣuwayliḥ	151,016
‘Ajlūn	125,557

Size

• 35,637 square miles
• 92,300 square kilometers
• about three-quarters the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Indiana

History

After World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the League of Nations awarded Britain the mandate to govern much of the Middle East. In 1921, Britain demarcated from Palestine a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan and recognized ABDALLAH I from the Hashemite family as the country's first leader. The Hashemites also controlled the Hijaz, or the western coastal area of modern-day Saudi Arabia, until 1925, when IBN SAUD and Wahhabi tribes pushed them out. The country gained its independence in 1946 and thereafter became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The country has had four kings. Long-time ruler King HUSSEIN (r. 1953-99) successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, UK, and Soviet Union), various Arab states, Israel, and Palestinian militants, the latter of which led to a brief civil war in 1970 that is known as "Black September" and ended in King HUSSEIN ousting the militants.Jordan's borders have changed since it gained independence. In 1948, Jordan took control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the first Arab-Israeli War, eventually annexing those territories in 1950 and granting its new Palestinian residents Jordanian citizenship. In 1967, Jordan lost the West Bank and East Jerusalem to Israel in the Six-Day War but retained administrative claims to the West Bank until 1988, when King HUSSEIN permanently relinquished Jordanian claims to the West Bank in favor of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). King HUSSEIN signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, after Israel and the PLO signed the Oslo Accords in 1993.Jordanian kings continue to claim custodianship of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem by virtue of their Hashemite heritage as descendants of the Prophet Mohammad and agreements with Israel and Jerusalem-based religious and Palestinian leaders. After Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 War, it authorized the Jordanian-controlled Islamic Trust, or Waqf, to continue administering the Al Haram ash Sharif/Temple Mount holy compound, and the Jordan-Israel peace treaty reaffirmed Jordan's "special role" in administering the Muslim holy shrines in Jerusalem. Jordanian kings claim custodianship of the Christian sites in Jerusalem on the basis of the 7th-century Pact of Omar, when the Muslim leader, after conquering Jerusalem, agreed to permit Christian worship.King HUSSEIN died in 1999 and was succeeded by his eldest son and current King ABDALLAH II. In 2009, ABDALLAH II designated his son HUSSEIN as the Crown Prince. During his reign, ABDALLAH II has contended with a series of challenges, including the Arab Spring influx of refugees from neighboring states, the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of the war in Ukraine, a perennially weak economy, and the Israel-HAMAS conflict that began in October 2023.

Climate

mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)

Terrain

mostly arid desert plateau; a great north-south geological rift along the west of the country is the dominant topographical feature and includes the Jordan River Valley, the Dead Sea, and the Jordanian Highlands

Languages

Arabic (official), English (widely understood among upper and middle classes)major-language sample(s): كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Muslim 97.1% (official; predominantly Sunni), Christian 2.1% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), Buddhist 0.4%, Hindu 0.1%, Jewish <0.1%, folk <0.1%, other <0.1%, unaffiliated <0.1% (2020 est.)

Government

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

• Constitution: history: previous 1928 (pre-independence); latest initially adopted 28 November 1947, revised and ratified 1 January 1952amendment process: constitutional amendments require at least a two-thirds majority vote of both the Senate and the House and ratification by the king
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: mixed system developed from Ottoman Empire codes (based on French law), British common law, and Islamic law
• Executive Branch: chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999)head of government: Prime Minister Jafar HASSAN (since 15 September 2024)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch in consultation with the prime ministerelection/appointment process: prime minister appointed by the monarch
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Court of Cassation or Supreme Court (consists of 15 members, including the chief justice); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the king; other judges nominated by the Judicial Council, an 11-member judicial policymaking body consisting of high-level judicial officials and judges, and approved by the king; judge tenure not limited; Constitutional Court members appointed by the king for 6-year non-renewable terms with one third of the membership renewed every 2 yearssubordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Great Felonies Court; religious courts; military courts; juvenile courts; Land Settlement Courts; Income Tax Court; Higher Administrative Court; Customs Court; special courts including the State Security Court
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: National Assembly (Majlis Al-Umma)legislative structure: bicameral

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• upper-middle-income Middle Eastern economy; high debt and unemployment, especially for youth and women; global events triggering trade slump and decreased revenue from tourism; growing manufacturing and agricultural sectors; key US foreign assistance recipient; natural-resource-poor and import-reliant 
• Budget: revenues: $13.779 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $17.159 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues and expenditures (excluding grants and social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil
• Industries: tourism, information technology, clothing, fertilizer, potash, phosphate mining, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing
• Agricultural Products: tomatoes, milk, chicken, potatoes, olives, cucumbers/gherkins, onions, chillies/peppers, peaches/nectarines, sheep milk (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 11.6% (2022 est.)arable land: 2.3% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.9% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 8.4% (2022 est.)forest: 1.1% (2022 est.)other: 87.3% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: cars, refined petroleum, gold, crude petroleum, jewelry (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 17%, Saudi Arabia 14%, UAE 8%, India 6%, USA 5% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: fertilizers, garments, phosphates, jewelry, phosphoric acid (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: USA 21%, India 13%, Saudi Arabia 11%, China 7%, Iraq 6% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports