Jordan

Hashemite Kingdom of JordanAl Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah

constitutional monarchy

Jordan as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 96 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

Position31 00 N, 36 00 E

Area89,213 sq km

LocationMiddle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia

Populationas each edition published it

4.43 million July 1998 est. · 3.06m in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.54% 1998 est. · 3.57% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 21.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

72.84 years 1998 est. · 71.61 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

4.79 children per woman 1998 est. · 6.2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

33.29 deaths per 1,000 live births 1998 est. · 55 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$4,800 1997 est. · $1,100 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

5.3% 1997 est. · 3% in 1993

Geography

Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia

17 fields

Land useshare of 89,213 sq km

arable land 4%permanent crops 1%permanent pastures 9%forests and woodland 1%other 85% (1993 est.)irrigated 630 sq km (1993 est.)

Area

89,213sq km

land: 88,884 sq kmwater: 329 sq kmslightly smaller than Indiana

Coastline

26km

territorial sea: 3 nm

Highest point

1,754m

Jabal Ramlowest point: Dead Sea -408 m

Land boundaries

1,619km

border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 728 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km

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-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

People

15 fields

Population

4,434,978

(July 1998 est.)growth rate: 2.54% (1998 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1998 est.)

Birth

35.18Death

3.91Net migration

-5.92

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1998 est.)72.84

70.96 · 74.84

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)86.6%

93.4% · 79.4%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups

Arab 98%Circassian 1%Armenian 1%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 43% (male 985,211; female 935,982)
15-64 years:: 54% (male 1,224,595; female 1,160,915)
65 years and over:: 3% (male 64,406; female 63,869) (July 1998 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 1.01 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate

33.29 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Jordanian(s)
adjective:: Jordanian

Religions

Sunni Muslim 96%, Christian 4% (1997 est.)

Languages

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

Government

Constitutional monarchy; King HUSSEIN bin Talal Al-Hashimi (since 2 May 1953); Prime Minister Abd al-Salam al-MAJALI (since 19 March 1997)

20 fields

Legislature, 78 seatsone dot, one seat

Arab Land Party 1independents 75other 2

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

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)

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

Executive branch

chief of state:: King HUSSEIN bin Talal Al-Hashimi (since 2 May 1953)
head of government:: Prime Minister Abd al-Salam al-MAJALI (since 19 March 1997)
cabinet:: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the king
elections:: none;
the king is a constitutional monarch;
prime minister appointed by the king

bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate (a 40-member body appointed by the king 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 king several times since 1974; in November 1989 the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held

Judicial branch

Court of Cassation

Political parties and leaders

Al-Ahrar (Freedom) Party, Dr. Ahmad ZO'BI, secretary general;
Arab Ba'th Progressive Party, Mahmoud al-MA'AYTAH, secretary general;
Arab Islamic Democratic Party (Doa'a), Yousif ABU BAKR, secretary general;
Arab Jordanian Ansar Party, Muhammad MAJALI, secretary general;
Arab Land Party, Dr. Muhammad al-'ORAN, secretary general;
Islamic Action Front, Dr. Ishaq al-FARHAN, secretary general;
Jordanian Arab Constitutional Front Party, Milhem TELL, secretary general;
Jordanian Ba'th Arab Socialist Party, Tayseer al-HOMSI, secretary general;
Jordanian Communist Party, Ya'acoub ZAYADIN, secretary general;
Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party, Sa'eed MUSTAPHA, secretary general;
Jordanian Labor Party, Muhammad KHATAYIBAH, secretary general;
Jordanian Peace Party, Dr. Shaher KHREIS, secretary general;
Jordanian People's Democratic Party (HASHD), Salem NAHHAS, secretary general;
Jordanian Unitary Democratic Party, Mousa al-MA'AYTAH, secretary general;
Al-Mustaqbal (Future) Party, Suleiman 'ARAR, secretary general;
National Action Party (Haqq), Muhammad ZO'BI, secretary general;
National Constitutional Party, Abdul Hadi MAJALI, secretary general;
National Democratic Public Movement Party, Muhammad al-'AMER, secretary general;
Progressive Party, Na'el BARAKAT, secretary general;
Al-Umma (Nation) Party, Ahmad HNEIDI, secretary general

International organization participation

ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFCTU, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUA, NAM, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Marwan Jamil MUASHIR
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 Wesley W. EGAN, Jr.
embassy:: Jabel Amman, Amman
mailing address:: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; APO AE 09892-0200
telephone:: [962] (6) 820101

FAX

[962] (6) 820159

Flag description

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

28 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

-$20.7billion

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

-$4,800

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

Real growth rate

5.3%

(1997 est.)industrial production growth: -3.4% (1996)

Inflation, consumer prices

(1997 est.)

GDP-composition by sector(1995 est.)

agriculture 6%industry 30%services 64% (1995 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$2.7 billionExpenditures

$2.8 billion (1997 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $630 million

Fixed lines

81,500

(1987 est.)

Economy-overview

Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil and coal. Jordan benefited from increased Arab aid during the oil boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when its annual real GNP growth averaged more than 10%. In the remainder of the 1980s, however, reductions in both Arab aid and worker remittances slowed real economic growth to an average of roughly 2% per year.

Imports-mainly oil, capital goods, consumer durables, and food-outstripped 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-supported 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, worker remittances, and trade contracted;

and 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, but recovery was uneven in 1994-97.

The government is implementing the reform program adopted in 1992 and continues to secure rescheduling and write-offs of its heavy foreign debt. Debt, poverty, and unemployment remain Jordan's biggest on-going problems.

Labor force

total:: 1.15 million plus 300,000 foreign workers (1997 est.)
by occupation:: industry 11.4%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 10.5%, construction 10.0%, transport and communications 8.7%, agriculture 7.4%, other services 52.0% (1992)

Unemployment rate

15% official rate; note-actual rate is 20%-25% (1997 est.)

Industries

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

Electricity-capacity

1.066 million kW (1995)

Electricity-production

5.02 billion kWh (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita

1,259 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products

wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats, poultry

Exports

total value:: $1.53 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
commodities:: phosphates, fertilizers, potash, agricultural products, manufactures
partners:: Iraq, India, Saudi Arabia, EU, Indonesia, UAE

Imports

total value:: $3.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
commodities:: crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, food, live animals, manufactured goods
partners:: EU, Iraq, US, Japan, Turkey

Debt-external

$7.3 billion (1997 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $424 million (1996)

Currency

1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils

Exchange rates

Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1-0.7090 (January 1998-1996), 0.7005 (1995), 0.6987 (1994), 0.6928 (1993) note: since May 1989, the dinar has been pegged to a basket of currencies

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

Telephone system

adequate telephone system

domestic:: microwave radio relay, cable, and radiotelephone links
international:: satellite earth stations-2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat;
coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria;
microwave radio relay to Lebanon is inactive;
participant in Medarabtel

Radio broadcast stations

AM 5, FM 7, shortwave 0

Radios

1.1 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations

8 and 1 TV receive-only satellite link

Televisions

350,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

8 fields

Merchant marine, 4 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1997 est.)

bulk 3cargo 1

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m

total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1

Networkskm

Highways

6,640Railways

676

Highways: paved: 6,640 km · unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.) · Railways: narrow gauge: 676 km 1.050-m gauge; note-an additional 110 km stretch of the old Hejaz railroad is out of use

Railways

total:: 676 km
narrow gauge:: 676 km 1.050-m gauge; note-an additional 110 km stretch of the old Hejaz railroad is out of use

Highways

total:: 6,640 km
paved:: 6,640 km
unpaved:: 0 km (1996 est.)

total:: 14
over 3,047 m:: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.)

Military

7 fields

Military expenditures-percent of GDP

7.8%

(1997)

Military branches

Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF; includes
- Royal Jordanian Land Force,
- Royal Naval Force,
- and Royal Jordanian Air Force)
;
Badiya (irregular) Border Guards;
Ministry of the Interior's Public Security Force (falls under JAF only in wartime or crisis situations)

Transnational Issues

1 field

Disputes-international

none JUAN DE NOVA ISLAND (possession of France)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Jordan.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/jordan/1998.

How to cite ← 1997 edition 1999 edition →