orm: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
conventional short form: Jordan
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah
local short form: Al Urdun
former: Transjordan

Government type:

constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Amman
geographic coordinates: 31 57 N, 35 56 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Thursday in March; ends last
Friday in September

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:

1 January 1952; amended many times

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:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Prince
HUSSEIN (born 1994), eldest son of King ABDALLAH II, is considered
to be first in line to inherit the throne
head of government: Prime Minister Nader al-DAHABI (since 25
November 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation
with the monarch
elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by
the monarch

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the
Senate, also called the House of Notables or Majlis al-Ayan (55
seats; members appointed by the monarch from designated categories
of public figures to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of
Deputies, also called the House of Representatives or Majlis
al-Nuwaab (110 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis
of proportional representation to serve four-year terms; note - six
seats are reserved for women and are allocated by a special
electoral panel if no women are elected)
elections: Chamber of Deputies - last held 20 November 2007 (next to
be held in 2011)
election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party -
IAF 5.5 %, independents and other 94.5%; seats by party - IAF 6,
independents and other 104; note - seven women will serve in the
next Assembly - six of whom filled women's quota seats and one was
directly