Jordan

Hashemite Kingdom of JordanAl Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah

constitutional monarchy

Jordan as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 76 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalAmman

Area89,213 km2

LocationMiddle East, between Israel and Saudi Arabia

Populationas each edition published it

3.82 million July 1993 est. · 3.06m in 1990

Population growth% a year

3.57% 1993 est. · 1.68% in 2025

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 21.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

71.61 years 1993 est. · 76.5 yrs in 2025

Fertility ratechildren per woman

5.79 children per woman 1993 est. · 6.2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

33.3 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 55 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,100 1991 est. · $9,500 in 2025

GDP real growth% a year

3% 1991 est. · 2.5% in 2025

Geography

Middle East, between Israel and Saudi Arabia

13 fields

Land useshare of 89,213 km2

arable land 4%permanent crops 0.5%meadows and pastures 1%forest and woodland 0.5%other 94%irrigated 570 km2 (1989 est.)

Area

89,213km2

land area: 88,884 km2comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana

Coastline

26km

territorial sea: 3 nm

Land boundaries

1,619km

total · Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 728 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km

Location

Middle East, between Israel and Saudi Arabia

Map references

Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

International disputes

differences with Israel over the location of the 1949 Armistice Line that separates the two countries; water-sharing issues with Israel

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

Environment

lack of natural water resources;
deforestation;
overgrazing;
soil erosion;
desertification

People

14 fields

Population

3,823,636

(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 3.57% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth

39.48Death

4.32Net migration

0.51

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years71.61

69.83 · 73.51

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy80%

89% · 70%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990)

Ethnic divisions

Arab 98%Circassian 1%Armenian 1%

Labor force

572,000

(1988)by occupation: agriculture 20%, manufacturing and mining 20% (1987 est.)

Infant mortality rate

33.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Jordanian(s)
adjective:: Jordanian

Languages

Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes

Government

Constitutional monarchy

20 fields

Names

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

Administrative divisions

8 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Ma'an

Independence

25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)

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

Political parties and leaders

approximately 24 parties have been formed since the National Charter, but the number fluctuates;
after the 1989 parliamentary elections, King Hussein promised to allow the formation of political parties;
a national charter that sets forth the ground rules for democracy in Jordan - including the creation of political parties - was approved in principle by the special National Conference on 9 June 1991, but its specific provisions have yet to be passed by National Assembly

Elections

House of Representatives:: last held 8 November 1989 (next to be held November 1993);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (80 total) Muslim Brotherhood (fundamentalist) 22, Independent Islamic bloc (generally traditionalist) 6, Democratic bloc (mostly leftist) 9, Constitutionalist bloc (traditionalist) 17, Nationalist bloc (traditionalist) 16, independent 10

Executive branch

monarch, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch

bicameral National Assembly (Majlis al-'Umma) consists of an upper house or House of Notables (Majlis al-A'ayan) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Majlis al-Nuwaab);
note - the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved by the King several times since 1974 and in November 1989 the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held

Leaders

Chief of State:: King HUSSEIN Ibn Talal Al Hashemi (since 11 August 1952)
Head of Government:: Prime Minister Zayd bin SHAKIR (since 21 November 1991)

ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOSOM, UNRWA, UNPROFOR, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Fayez A. TARAWNEH
chancery:: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: (202) 966-2664

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Roger Gram HARRISON
embassy:: Jebel Amman, Amman
mailing address:: P. O. Box 354, Amman, or APO AE 09892
telephone:: [962] (6) 644-371

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), white, and green with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a small white seven-pointed star;
the seven points on the star represent the seven fundamental laws of the Koran

Economy

18 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$1,100

(1991 est.)

Real growth rate

(1991 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 1% (1991 est.); accounts for 20% of GDP

Inflation, consumer prices

(1991 est.)

Unemployment rate

40%

(1991 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$1.3 billionExpenditures

$1.9 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $440 million (1992 est.)

Overview

Jordan benefited from increased Arab aid during the oil boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when its annual GNP growth averaged more than 10%. In the remainder of the 1980s, however, reductions in both Arab aid and worker remittances slowed economic growth to an average of roughly 2% per year.

Imports - mainly oil, capital goods, consumer durables, and food - have been outstripping exports, with the difference covered by aid, remittances, and borrowing. In mid-1989, the Jordanian Government began debt-rescheduling negotiations and agreed to implement an IMF program designed to gradually reduce the budget deficit and implement badly needed structural reforms.

The Persian Gulf crisis that began in August 1990, however, aggravated Jordan's already serious economic problems, forcing the government to shelve the IMF program, stop most debt payments, and suspend rescheduling negotiations. Aid from Gulf Arab states and worker remittances have plunged, and refugees have flooded the country, straining government resources. Economic recovery is unlikely without substantial foreign aid, debt relief, and economic reform.

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $3.6 billion (1991 est.)

Exports

$1.0 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)

commodities:: phosphates, fertilizers, potash, agricultural products, manufactures
partners:: India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, UAE, China

Imports

$2.3 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.)

commodities:: crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, food, live animals, manufactured goods
partners:: EC countries, US, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Turkey

External debt

$9 billion (December 1991 est.)

Electricity

1,030,000 kW capacity; 3,814 million kWh produced, 1,070 kWh per capita (1992)

Industries

phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash, light manufacturing

Agriculture

accounts for about 7% of GDP;
principal products are wheat, barley, citrus fruit, tomatoes, melons, olives;
livestock - sheep, goats, poultry;
large net importer of food

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.7 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.5 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.5 billion;
Communist countries (1970-89), $44 million

Communications

7 fields

Networkskm

Highways

7,500Railroads

789

Highways: ; 5,500 km asphalt, 2,000 km gravel and crushed stone · Railroads: , single track

total:: 19
usable:: 15
with permanent-surface runways:: 14
with runways over 3,659 m:: 1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:: 13
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:: 0

Telecommunications

adequate telephone system of microwave, cable, and radio links;
81,500 telephones;
broadcast stations - 5 AM, 7 FM, 8 TV;
satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT, 1 domestic TV receive-only;
coaxial cable and microwave to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria;
microwave link to Lebanon is inactive;
participant in MEDARABTEL, a microwave radio relay network linking Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco