About Jordan

About Jordan

*Photo Credits: R. Salib

(from the U.S. State Department)

PETRA

GEOGRAPHY

Area: 89,342 sq. km. (34,495 sq. mi.)

Cities: Capital--Amman (pop. 2.5 million) Other cities--az-Zarqa (472,830), Irbid (272,681), al-'Aqaba (107,115).



PEOPLE


Nationality: Noun and adjective--Jordanian(s)


Population (2009): 5.97 million


Religions (2001 census est.): Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6%, other 2%.


Languages: Arabic (official), English.


Education (2007, according to Jordan's Department of Statistics): Literacy--92.1%.


Health (2007): Infant mortality rate--20/1,000. Life expectancy--71.6 yrs. male; 74.4 yrs. female.


Ethnic groups: Mostly Arab but small communities of Circassians, Armenians, and Chechens.


Work force (1.8 million, of which 313,000 are registered guest workers): services 34%, manufacturing 20%, public sector 19%, education 12%, health and social services 11%, agriculture 3%.


Unemployment rate (2008): 13% of economically active Jordanians.



GOVERNMENT

Type: Constitutional monarchy

Independence: May 25, 1946


Constitution: January 8, 1952


Branches: Executive--King (chief of state), Prime Minister (head of government), Council of Ministers (cabinet). Legislative--bicameral parliament (appointed upper house known as the Senate, elected lower house). Judicial--civil, religious, special courts.


Suffrage: Universal at 18

Administrative subdivisions: Twelve governorates--Irbid, Jarash, Ajloun, al-'Aqaba, Madaba, al-Mafraq, az-Zarqa, Amman, al-Balqa, al-Karak, at-Tafilah, and Ma'an.



ECONOMY


Nominal GDP (2009): $21.92 billion


Annual real growth rate (2009): 3.2%


Per capita GDP (2009): $4,700

Natural resources: Phosphate, potash


Agriculture (3.01% of GDP in 2009): Products--citrus, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, sheep, poultry, stone fruits, strawberries, melons, dairy. Land--4.5% arable; 2.5% cultivated.


Industry (15.95% of GDP in 2009): Types--clothing, phosphate mining, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, potash, inorganic chemicals, and light manufacturing.


Trade: Exports (2009)--$7.54 billion: garments, fertilizers, potash, phosphates, pharmaceutical products and vegetables. Major markets--India, U.S., Iraq, Saudi Arabia, EU, U.A.E., Syria, Israel. Imports (2009)--$16.12 billion: crude petroleum and derivatives, machinery and equipment, vehicles, iron, and cereals. Major suppliers--Saudi Arabia (mainly crude oil and derivatives), EU, China, U.S., Egypt, South Korea, Japan, Turkey.

Jordan administered the West Bank, from 1949 to 1967. 

PEOPLE

Jordanians are Arabs, and within Jordan there are smaller communities of Circassians, Armenians, and Chechens.  The official language is Arabic, but English is used in commerce and in government.  Only 6% of Jordan’s population is rural, or nomadic.  There are around 1.7 million registered Palestinian refugees and Iraqis who reside in Jordan.

HISTORY

Jordan is apart of the historic Fertile Crescent region.  In 2000 B.C., Amorites settled around the Jordan River, which was called Canaan.  The land was invaded since by numerous nationalities, but after WWI, the League of Nations awarded the territory comprising of Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem to the U.K. as the transition for Palestine and Transjordan.  On May 25, 1946, the country became the independent Kingdom of Transjordan, and ended its treaty relationship with the U.K. in 1957, and would be ruled by the Hashemite Prince Abdullah.  In 1950, it was renamed the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, to include sections of Palestine annexed by King Abdullah I. 

Jordan did not participate in the 1990-1992 Gulf War, and agreed in 1991, with Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine to participate in peace negotiations with Israel facilitated by the United States and Russia, and signed a peace treat in 1994 with Israel.  Jordan has remained at peace with all of its neighbors.

 

Principal Government Officials


Chief of State--King Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein


Prime Minister--Marouf Bakhit


Minister of Defense--Marouf Bakhit


Foreign Minister--Nasser Judeh


Ambassador to the U.S.--Alia Bouran


Ambassador to the UN--Zeid Al-Hussein

ECONOMY

Jordan has limited natural resources, and has very poor water resources.  It depends on outside resources for its energy requirements also.  In the 1990’s, its petroleum resources were supplied by Iraq.  In 2007, Jordan developed a new strategy to develop more renewable energy sources, which includes oil shale, nuclear energy, wind, and solar power.  King Abdullah has developed programs of economic reform, including eliminating fuel and agricultural subsidies, enacting legislation targeted at corruption, and instituted tax reforms.  In 2001, Jordan signed the first bilateral free trade agreement with the U.S., and with an Arab country, which would include elimination of tariffs by 2010. The country has emphasized the information technology, pharmaceuticals, and tourism arenas as promising growth areas.  Also in 1996, the U.S. and Jordan signed a civil aviation agreement that provided for “open skies” between the two countries.   The World Bank classifies Jordan as a “lower middle income country.” In 2008, 13% of the Jordanian population was unemployed, although unofficial statistics say it is more around 30% unemployment.  Education and literacy percentages are high compared to other countries.  Since the region can be volatile, the economic growth in the area may stay below the potential. The tourism and real estate sectors experienced a heavy slowdown, after the 2009 economic downturn.

FOREIGN POLICY

Jordan has traditionally always had close relations with the United States, and followed a pro-Western philosophy.  This was damaged slightly during the Gulf War in 1990, although the government of Jordan stated its opposition to the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait. Since 2003, Jordan has played a vital role in the restoration of stability to Iraq, by training over 50,000 Iraqi police and officers at an Amman facility, and has addressed Iraqi humanitarian needs, and even appointed a Jordanian Ambassador to Iraq in 2008.  Jordan also belongs to the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the World Health Organization, among others, including the IMF and the World Bank.

U.S. policy tries to reinforce Jordan’s commitment to peace.  The U.S. has helped Jordan maintain its prosperity through close cooperation, and with economic and military assistance, along with development assistance totaling $6 billion dollars.  This aid, through grants and loans has included focuses on education, water access, resource allocations, youth and poverty programs, child health, macroeconomics, work development, and in being competitive.