|
| Background: |
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. King
ABDALLAH II - the eldest son of King
HUSSEIN and Princess MUNA - assumed the
throne following his father's death in
February 1999. Since then, he has
consolidated his power and established his
domestic priorities. |
| Location: |
Middle
East, northwest of Saudi Arabia |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
31
00 N, 36 00 E |
| Map
references: |
Middle
East |
| Area: |
total:
92,300 sq km
land: 91,971 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 |
| 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: |
droughts |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Population: |
5,153,378
(July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14
years: 37.23% (male 980,345;
female 938,081)
15-64 years: 59.44% (male
1,633,579; female 1,429,631)
65 years and over: 3.33%
(male 84,815; female 86,927) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
3%
(2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
25.44
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
2.62
deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
7.18
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at
birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05
male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.14
male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98
male(s)/female
total population: 1.1
male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
20.36
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 77.53 years
male: 75.1 years
female: 80.12 years (2001
est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
3.29
children born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.02%
(1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
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 Catholics, Roman
Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic
Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and
Protestant denominations), other 2%
(several small Shi'a Muslim and Druze
populations) (2000 est.) |
| Languages: |
Arabic
(official), English widely understood
among upper and middle classes |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.6%
male: 93.4%
female: 79.4% (1995 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: 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 |
| 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: |
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 |
| Suffrage: |
20
years of age; universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief
of state: King ABDALLAH II
(since 7 February 1999); Crown Prince
HAMZAH (half brother of the monarch, born
29 March 1980)
head of government: Prime
Minister Ali Abul RAGHEB (since 19 June
2000)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by
the prime minister in consultation with
the monarch
elections: none; the monarch
is hereditary; prime minister appointed by
the monarch |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral
National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma
consists of the Senate (a 40-member body
appointed by the monarch from designated
categories of public figures; members
serve four-year terms) and the House of
Representatives (80 seats; members elected
by popular vote on the basis of
proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: House of
Representatives - last held 4 November
1997 (next to be held NA November 2001)
election results: House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party
- NA%; seats by party - National
Constitutional Party 2, Arab Land Party 1,
independents 75, other 2
note: the House of
Representatives has been convened and
dissolved by the monarch several times
since 1974; in November 1989 the first
parliamentary elections in 22 years were
held |
| Judicial
branch: |
Court
of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of
final appeal) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Al-Umma
(Nation) Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH,
secretary general]; Arab Land Party [Dr.
Muhammad al-'ORAN, secretary general];
Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party
[Sa'eed THIYAB, secretary general];
National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi
MAJALI, secretary general] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Council
of Professional Association Presidents
[Ahmad al-QADIRI, chairman]; Jordanian
Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF,
president]; Muslim Brotherhood
[Abd-al-Majid DHUNAYBAT, secretary
general] |
| International
organization participation: |
ABEDA,
ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA,
FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO (correspondent), ITU, MINURSO, MONUC,
NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN,
UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG,
UNRWA, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief
of mission: Ambassador Marwan
Jamil MUASHER
chancery: 3504 International
Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664
FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief
of mission: Ambassador Edward
William GNEHM, Jr.
embassy: Abdoum, Amman
mailing address: P. O. Box
354, Amman 11118 Jordan; APO AE 09892-0200
telephone: [962] (6) 5920101
FAX: [962] (6) 5920121 |
| Flag
description: |
three
equal horizontal bands of black (top, the
Abbassid Caliphate of Islam), white (the
Ummayyad Caliphate of Islam), and green
(the Fatimid Caliphate of Islam) with a
red isosceles triangle (representing the
Great Arab Revolt of 1916) based on the
hoist side 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 |
| Economy
- overview: |
Jordan
is a small Arab country with inadequate
supplies of water and other natural
resources such as oil. The Persian Gulf
crisis, which began in August 1990,
aggravated Jordan's already serious
economic problems, forcing the government
to stop most debt payments and suspend
rescheduling negotiations. Aid from Gulf
Arab states, worker remittances, and trade
revenues contracted. Refugees flooded the
country, producing serious
balance-of-payments problems, stunting GDP
growth, and straining government
resources. The economy rebounded in 1992,
largely due to the influx of capital
repatriated by workers returning from the
Gulf. After averaging 9% in 1992-95, GDP
growth averaged only 1.5% during 1996-99.
In an attempt to spur growth, King
ABDALLAH has undertaken limited economic
reform, including partial privatization of
some state-owned enterprises and Jordan's
entry in January 2000 into the World Trade
Organization (WTrO). Debt, poverty, and
unemployment are fundamental ongoing
economic problems. |
| GDP: |
purchasing
power parity - $17.3 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
2%
(2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing
power parity - $3,500 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
3%
industry: 25%
services: 72% (1998 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
30%
(1998 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest
10%: 2.4%
highest 10%: 34.7% (1991) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
0.7%
(2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
1.15
million
note: in addition, at least
300,000 workers are employed abroad (1997
est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
industry
11.4%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels
10.5%, construction 10%, transport and
communications 8.7%, agriculture 7.4%,
other services 52% (1992) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
15%
official rate; actual rate is 25%-30%
(1999 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$2.8 billion
expenditures: $3.1 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
phosphate
mining, petroleum refining, cement,
potash, light manufacturing, tourism |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
3.8%
(2000 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
6.657
billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil
fuel: 99.79%
hydro: 0.21%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
6.594
billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
4
million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
407
million kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat,
barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives;
sheep, goats, poultry |
| Exports: |
$2
billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
phosphates,
fertilizers, potash, agricultural
products, manufactures |
| Exports
- partners: |
India,
Iraq, Saudi Arabia, EU, Indonesia, UAE,
Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, Ethiopia |
| Imports: |
$4
billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
crude
oil, machinery, transport equipment, food,
live animals, manufactured goods |
| Imports
- partners: |
Iraq,
Germany, US, Japan, UK, Italy, Turkey,
Malaysia, Syria, China |
| Debt
- external: |
$8
billion (2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
ODA,
$850 million (1996 est.) |
| Currency: |
Jordanian
dinar (JOD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Jordanian
dinars per US dollar - 0.7090
(1996-present )
note: since May 1989, the
Jordanian dinar has been pegged to a group
of currencies |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar
year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
403,000
(1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
11,500
(1995) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: service has improved
recently with the increased use of digital
switching equipment, but better access to
the telephone system is needed in the
rural areas and easier access to pay
telephones is needed by the urban public
domestic: microwave radio
relay transmission and coaxial and
fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk
lines; considerable use is made of mobile
cellular systems; Internet service is
available
international: satellite
earth stations - 3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat,
and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat
terminals; fiber-optic cable to Saudi
Arabia and microwave radio relay link with
Egypt and Syria; connection to
international submarine cable FLAG
(Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe);
participant in MEDARABTEL; international
links total about 4,000 |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM
6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999) |
| Radios: |
1.66
million (1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
20
(plus 96 repeaters) (1995) |
| Televisions: |
500,000
(1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.jo |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
5
(2000) |
| Internet
users: |
87,500
(2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
677 km
narrow gauge: 677 km 1.050-m
gauge (2001) |
| Highways: |
total:
8,000 km
paved: 8,000 km
unpaved: 0 km (2000 est.) |
| Pipelines: |
crude
oil 209 km; note - may not be in use |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Al
'Aqabah |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
40,919 GRT/57,777 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo
3, container 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2000
est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
15
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
3
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
