Today, let's visit
Jordan
Jordan is a country in Asia, home to about 10.0 million people. Its capital is Amman.
It covers 92,300 square kilometres (35,637 square miles). That's about three-quarters the size of Pennsylvania.
A little 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.
What's it like there?
The weather is mostly arid desert.
- Location
-
- Middle East
- Northwest of Saudi Arabia
- Between Israel (to the west) and Iraq
- Size
-
- About three-quarters the size of Pennsylvania
- Slightly smaller than Indiana
- Climate
-
- Mostly arid desert
- Rainy season in west (November to April)
- Landscape
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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
- Natural resources
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- Phosphates
- Potash
- Shale oil
- Land use
-
Agricultural land 11.5%
Arable land 2.3%
Permanent crops 0.9%
Permanent pasture 8.4%
Forest 0.8%
Other 87.7%
2023 estimate
- Good to know
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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)
Who lives there?
About 10.0 million people live in Jordan, and the biggest city is Amman.
- Largest cities
-
Amman Capital 1,275,857 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 - Languages
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Arabic (official), English (widely understood among upper and middle classes)
- Religions
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Muslim (official; predominantly Sunni) 97.1% Christian (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations) 2.1% Buddhist 0.4% Hindu 0.1% Jewish <0.1% Folk <0.1% Other <0.1% Unaffiliated <0.1% 2020 estimate
- Ethnic groups
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Jordanian 69.3% Syrian 13.3% Palestinian 6.7% Egyptian 6.7% Iraqi 1.4% Other 2.6% 2015 estimate
Note: Data represent population by self-identified nationality in national census
- Where people live
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- Population heavily concentrated in the west
- And particularly the northwest
- In and around the capital of Amman
A sizeable but smaller population is located in the southwest along the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba
- Cities and towns
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Urban population 92% of total population
2023
Rate of urbanization 0.98% annual rate of change
2020-25 estimate
- Reading and writing
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Total population 94.8%
Male 97.5%
Female 92.3%
2023 estimate
- What people are called
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Noun Jordanian(s)
Adjective Jordanian
Who's in charge?
Its government is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.
- Leaders
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Head of state King Abdallah II (since 7 February 1999)
Head of government Prime Minister Jafar Hassan (since 15 September 2024)
- Parliament
-
Legislature name National Assembly (Majlis Al-Umma)
Legislative structure Bicameral
- Courts
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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 years
Subordinate 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
- Constitution
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History - Previous 1928 (pre-independence)
- Latest initially adopted 28 November 1947, revised and ratified 1 January 1952
Amendment process Constitutional amendments require at least a two-thirds majority vote of both the Senate and the House and ratification by the king
- Legal system
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Mixed system developed from Ottoman Empire codes (based on French law), British common law, and Islamic law
- Who can vote
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- 18 years of age
- Universal
How does it make a living?
- In short
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- 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
- Industries
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- Tourism
- Information technology
- Clothing
- Fertilizer
- Potash
- Phosphate mining
- Pharmaceuticals
- Petroleum refining
- Cement
- Inorganic chemicals
- Light manufacturing
- Farming
-
- Tomatoes
- Milk
- Chicken
- Potatoes
- Olives
- Cucumbers/gherkins
- Onions
- Chillies/peppers
- Peaches/nectarines
- Sheep milk
2023
Note: Top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
- Exports
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- Fertilizers
- Garments
- Phosphates
- Jewelry
- Phosphoric acid
2023
Note: Top five export commodities based on value in dollars
- Sells most to
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USA 21% India 13% Saudi Arabia 11% China 7% Iraq 6% 2023
Note: Top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
- Imports
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- Cars
- Refined petroleum
- Gold
- Crude petroleum
- Jewelry
2023
Note: Top five import commodities based on value in dollars
- Buys most from
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China 17% Saudi Arabia 14% UAE 8% India 6% USA 5% 2023
Note: Top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
- Workforce
-
3.08 million
2024 estimate
Note: Number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
- Below the poverty line
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15.7%
2018 estimate
Note: % of population with income below national poverty line
- Electricity
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Electrification - total population 100%
2022 estimate
Electrification - urban areas 100%
Electrification - rural areas 98.9%
- Government budget
-
Revenues $13.779 billion
Expenditures $17.159 billion
2023 estimate
Note: Central government revenues and expenditures (excluding grants and social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
Want to read more? Try the Wikipedia article, the Wikipedia portal or the Human Rights Watch report.
Have a great day!
I'll look forward to seeing you again tomorrow.
The more we all learn about the world, the better a place it becomes. Thank you for your curiosity!