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Jordan Country Guide

Explore Jordan in Asia

Jordan with the capital city Amman is located in Asia (Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia). It covers some 92,300 square kilometres (slightly smaller than Indiana) with 6,198,000 citizens.

Interactive map of Jordan

The topography includes mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west with Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River. The average density of population is approximately 67 per km². The notable climate conditions in Jordan can be described as mostly arid desert with rainy season in west (November to April). Possible natural disasters include droughts or periodic earthquakes.

To reach someone in Jordan dial +962 prior to a number. There are 501,200 installed telephones. And there are 6,014,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900/1800 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".jo". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 230V - 50Hz.

About the flag and history of Jordan

Jordan Flag Icon

Three equal horizontal bands of black (top), representing the Abbassid Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and green, representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles triangle on the hoist side, representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven points on the star represent faith in One God, humanity, national spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations; design is based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I.


Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the League of Nations awarded Britain the mandate to govern much of the Middle East. Britain demarcated a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from Palestine in the early 1920s. The area gained its independence in 1946 and thereafter became The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The country's long-time ruler, King HUSSEIN (1953-99), successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population. Jordan lost the West Bank to Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. King HUSSEIN in 1988 permanently relinquished Jordanian claims to the West Bank; in 1994 he signed a peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH II, King HUSSEIN''s eldest son, assumed the throne following his father''s death in 1999. He implemented modest political and economic reforms, but in the wake of the "Arab Revolution" across the Middle East, Jordanians continue to press for further political liberalization, government reforms, and economic improvements.



Geography Quick-Facts

SummaryContinent: Asia
Neighbours: Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Israel, Palestinian Territory
Capital: Amman
Size92,300 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 35,637 square miles (mi² or sqmi)
slightly smaller than Indiana
Population6,198,000
CurrencyName Dinar, Currency Code:JOD
Country Top Level Domain (cTLD).jo
Telephone Country Prefix+962
Mobile Phone Connections6,014,000
Landline Phone Connections501,200

Country Position in World Rankings

Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).

Geography

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Area89,342 (sq km)112

People and Society

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Population6,482,081 104
Population growth rate0.14 (%)181
Birth rate26.23 (births/1,000 population)51
Death rate2.80 (deaths/1,000 population)220
Net migration rate-22.02 (migrant(s)/1,000 population)220
Maternal mortality rate63.00 (deaths/100,000 live births)97
Infant mortality rate15.26 (deaths/1,000 live births)108
Life expectancy at birth80.30 (years)29
Total fertility rate3.32 (children born/woman)50
Health expenditures8.00 (% of GDP)59
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate0.10 (%)137
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS600 149
HIV/AIDS - deaths500 90
Obesity - adult prevalence rate30.00 (%)28
Children under the age of 5 years underweight1.90 (%)119
Unemployment, youth ages 15-2429.90 (%)26

Economy

Value nameValueWorld Rank
GDP (purchasing power parity)39,290,000,000 105
GDP - real growth rate2.80 (%)114
GDP - per capita (PPP)6,100 149
Labor force1,824,000 126
Unemployment rate12.30 (%)129
Distribution of family income - Gini index39.70 62
Investment (gross fixed)28.90 (% of GDP)24
Taxes and other revenues20.40 (% of GDP)161
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)-6.40 (% of GDP)182
Public debt75.00 (% of GDP)32
Inflation rate (consumer prices)4.30 (%)119
Central bank discount rate4.75 (%)75
Commercial bank prime lending rate8.22 (%)113
Stock of narrow money11,150,000,000 76
Stock of broad money38,610,000,000 72
Stock of domestic credit33,270,000,000 70
Market value of publicly traded shares27,180,000,000 58
Industrial production growth rate0.20 (%)142
Current account balance-3,359,000,000 151
Exports7,836,000,000 101
Imports20,830,000,000 75
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold10,700,000,000 71
Debt - external19,340,000,000 82
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home24,630,000,000 66

Energy

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Electricity - production14,640,000,000 (kWh)86
Electricity - consumption13,540,000,000 (kWh)79
Electricity - exports86,000,000 (kWh)74
Electricity - imports1,738,000,000 (kWh)54
Electricity - installed generating capacity3,140,000 (kW)87
Electricity - from fossil fuels99.30 (% of total installed capacity)58
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants0.50 (% of total installed capacity)145
Electricity - from other renewable sources0.20 (% of total installed capacity)89
Crude oil - production20 (bbl/day)102
Crude oil - imports29,310 (bbl/day)65
Crude oil - proved reserves1,000,000 (bbl)100
Refined petroleum products - production79,190 (bbl/day)80
Refined petroleum products - consumption107,000 (bbl/day)76
Refined petroleum products - imports18,620 (bbl/day)107
Natural gas - production226,500,000 (cu m)76
Natural gas - consumption1,400,000,000 (cu m)84
Natural gas - imports793,000,000 (cu m)63
Natural gas - proved reserves6,031,000,000 (cu m)86
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy19,070,000 (Mt)85

Communications

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Telephones - main lines in use465,400 102
Telephones - mobile cellular7,483,000 93
Internet hosts69,473 89
Internet users1,642,000 78

Transportation

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Airports18 139
Railways507 (km)111
Roadways7,891 (km)142
Merchant marine12 106

Military

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Military expenditures9.50 (% of GDP)4

Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases

List of current world heritage sites

NameSince
Petra
Inhabited since prehistoric times, this Nabataean caravan-city, situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, was an important crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and Syria-Phoenicia. Petra is half-built, half-carved into the rock, and is surrounded by ...
1985
Quseir Amra
Built in the early 8th century, this exceptionally well-preserved desert castle was both a fortress with a garrison and a residence of the Umayyad caliphs. The most outstanding features of this small pleasure palace are the reception hall and the ham ...
1985
Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa'a)
Most of this archaeological site, which started as a Roman military camp and grew to become a town from the 5th century, has not been excavated. It contains remains from the Roman, Byzantine and Early Muslim periods (end of 3rd to 9th centuries AD) a ...
2004
Wadi Rum Protected Area
The 74,000-hectare property, inscribed as a mixed natural and cultural site, is situated in southern Jordan, near the border with Saudi Arabia. It features a varied desert landscape consisting of a range of narrow gorges, natural arches, towering cli ...
2011