Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

For alternative meanings see: Jordan (disambiguation)

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan or Jordan is a country in the Middle East. It is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the north-east, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, and Israel and West Bank to the west. It shares the coastlines of the Gulf of Aqaba and the Dead Sea.

المملكة الأردنّيّة الهاشميّة
Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah

(In Detail) (In Detail)
National motto: None
Official language	Arabic
Capital	Amman
King	Abdullah II
Prime Minister	Faisal al-Fayez
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 110th 92,300 km² 0.01%
Population  - Total (2002)  - Density	Ranked 107th 5,153,378 48/km²
Independence  - Declared  - Recognised	From the League of Nations May 25, 1946
Currency	Jordanian dinar
Time zone	UTC +2
National anthem	As-salam al-malaki al-urdoni
Internet TLD	.JO
Calling Code	962

History

Politics

For most of its history since independence from British administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King Hussein (1953-1999). 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 making up a majority of Jordan's citizens, 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.

Governorates

Jordan is divided into 12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah):

• Ajlun
• Al 'Aqabah
• Al Balqa'
• Al Karak
• Al Mafraq
• 'Amman
• At Tafilah
• Az Zarqa'
• Irbid
• Jarash
• Ma'an
• Madaba

Geography

Economy

Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil. The Persian Gulf crisis, which began in August 1990, aggravated Jordan's already serious economic problems, forcing the government to shelve the IMF program, stop most debt payments, and suspend rescheduling negotiations. Aid from Gulf Arab states, worker remittances, and trade contracted; and refugees flooded the country, producing serious balance-of-payments problems, stunting GDP growth, and straining government resources.

The economy rebounded in 1992, largely due to the influx of capital repatriated by workers returning from the Gulf. After averaging 9% in 1992-95, GDP growth averaged only 2% during 1996-99. In an attempt to spur growth, King Abdullah has undertaken limited economic reform, including partial privatization of some state owned enterprises and Jordan's entry in January 2000 into the World Trade Organization (WTO). Debt, poverty, and unemployment are fundamental ongoing economic problems.

Demographics

Culture

Holidays

Date	English Name	Local Name	Remarks
January 1	New Year's Day	-
May 25	Independence Day	-	-
June 9	King Abdullahs accesion to the throne	-	-
May 1	Labor Day	-	-
November 14	Birthday of King Hussein	-	-
date varies	Feast of the Sacrifice or the Big Feast	Eid ul-Adha	Commemorates Abrahams willingness to sacrifice his son, occurs at the end of the month of hajj
date varies	the Little Feast	Eid ul-Fitr	Commemorates end of Ramadan
date varies	Hijri New Year	Muharram	Islamic New Year
date varies	Al-Isra' ul-Miraj	-	Commemorates Muhammad's trip to heaven
date varies	Prophet Muhammads birthday	Mawlid al-Nabi	-

See also: Music of Jordan

Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in Jordan
• Transportation in Jordan
• Military of Jordan
• Royal Jordanian Air Force
• Foreign relations of Jordan
• List of Jordanians

External links

• Jordan News
• Jordan Linux Users Group

Referenced By