round: 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, 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.

@Jordan:Geography

Location: Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates: 31 00 N, 36 00 E

Map references: Middle East

Area:
total: 89,213 sq km
land: 88,884 sq km
water: 329 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries:
total: 1,619 km
border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 728 km,
Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km

Coastline: 26 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm

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

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: 4%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 1%
other: 85% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 630 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

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

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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

@Jordan:People

Population: 4,998,564 (July 2000 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 38% (male 968,579; female 925,987)
15-64 years: 59% (male 1,568,615; female 1,374,303)
65 years and over: 3% (male 79,748; female 81,332) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.1% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 26.24 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 2.63 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 7.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.14 male(