sert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great
Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Jabal
Ram 1,734 m

Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil

Land use: arable land: 3% permanent crops: 1% other: 96% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 750 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: droughts; periodic earthquakes

Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources;
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of
the selected agreements

Geography - note: strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba
and as the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and
the occupied West Bank

People Jordan

Population: 5,307,470 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.6% (male 991,370; female 949,247) 15-64
years: 60% (male 1,698,568; female 1,485,261) 65 years and over: 3.4%
(male 90,186; female 92,838) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.89% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 24.58 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 2.62 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 6.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.97 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 19.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 80.3 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 3.15 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Jordanian(s) adjective: Jordanian

Ethnic groups: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%

Religions: Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox,
but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox,
Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several
small Shi'a Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.)

Languages: Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper
and mi