Comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries: 1,586 km total; Iraq 134 km, Israel 238 km,
Saudi Arabia 742 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
Coastline: 26 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Disputes: differences with Israel over the location of the
1949 Armistice Line which separates the two countries
Climate: mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)
Terrain: mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west;
Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil
Land use: 4% arable land; 0.5% permanent crops; 1% meadows
and pastures; 0.5% forest and woodland; 94% other; includes 0.5% irrigated
Environment: lack of natural water resources; deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
- People
Population: 3,064,508 (July 1990), growth rate 3.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 42 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 55 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 71 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.2 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Jordanian(s); adjective--Jordanian
Ethnic divisions: 98% Arab, 1% Circassian, 1% Armenian
Religion: 92% Sunni Muslim, 8% Christian
Language: Arabic (official); English widely understood among upper and
middle classes
Literacy: 71% (est.)
Labor force: 572,000 (1988); 20% agriculture, 20%
manufacturing and mining (1987 est.)
Organized labor: about 10% of labor force
Note: 1.5-1.7 million Palestinians live on the East Bank (55-60%
of the population), most are Jordanian citizens
- Government
Long-form name: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Amman
Administrative divisions: 8 governorates (muhafazat,
singular--muhafazah); Al Balqa, Al Karak, Al Mafraq, Amman,
At Tafilah, Az Zarqa, Irbid, Maan
Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British
administration; formerly Trans-Jordan)
Constitution: 8 January 1952
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
National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May (1946)
Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, deputy prime minist
|