Jordan

• population heavily concentrated in the west, and particularly the northwest, in and around the capital of Amman;
• a sizeable, but smaller population is located in the southwest along the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba

• droughts;
• periodic earthquakes;
• flash floods

• 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;
• the Dead Sea, the lowest point in Asia and the second saltiest body of water in the world (after Lac Assal in Djibouti), lies on Jordan's western border with Israel and the West Bank;
• Jordan is almost landlocked but does have a 26 km southwestern coastline with a single port, Al 'Aqabah (Aqaba)

noun:

Jordanian(s)

adjective:

Jordanian

• population heavily concentrated in the west, and particularly the northwest, in and around the capital of Amman;
• a sizeable, but smaller population is located in the southwest along the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.11 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.18 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.11 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.96 male(s)/female

total population:

1.11 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

• limited natural freshwater resources;
• declining water table;
• salinity;
• deforestation;
• overgrazing;
• soil erosion;
• desertification;
• biodiversity and ecosystem damage/loss

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

particulate matter emissions:

32.09 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

25.11 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

6.04 megatons (2020 est.)

urban population:

91.6% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization:

0.98% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

2,529,997 tons (2013 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

177,100 tons (2014 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

7% (2014 est.)

municipal:

456.9 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

32.5 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

554.7 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

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

etymology:

named for the Jordan River, which makes up part of Jordan's northwest border

name:

Amman

geographic coordinates:

31 57 N, 35 56 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Friday in February; ends last Friday in October

etymology:

• in the 13th century B.C., the Ammonites named their main city "Rabbath Ammon";
• "rabbath" designated "capital," so the name meant "The Capital of [the] Ammon[ites]";
• over time, the "Rabbath" came to be dropped and the city became known simply as "Ammon" and then "Amman"

• 12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah);
• 'Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, Al ‘Asimah (Amman), At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba

history:

previous 1928 (preindependence); latest initially adopted 28 November 1947, revised and ratified 1 January 1952

amendments:

• constitutional amendments require at least a two-thirds majority vote of both the Senate and the House and ratification by the king;
• no amendment of the constitution affecting the rights of the king and the succession to the throne is permitted during the regency period;
• amended several times, last in 2016

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Jordan

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

15 years

chief of state:

King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HUSSEIN (eldest son of the monarch, born on 28 June 1994)

head of government:

Prime Minister Bisher AL-KHASAWNEH (since 7 October 2020)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the monarch

elections/appointments:

the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch

description:

bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of:; Senate or the House of Notables or Majlis al-Ayan (65 seats; members appointed by the monarch to serve 4-year terms); Chamber of Deputies or House of Representatives or Majlis al-Nuwaab (130 seats; 115 members directly elected in 23 multi-seat constituencies by open-list proportional representation vote and 15 seats for women; 12 of the 115 seats reserved for Christian, Chechen, and Circassian candidates; members serve 4-year terms)

elections:

Chamber of Deputies - last held on 10 November 2020 (next to be held in November 2024)

election results:

• Chamber of Deputies - note - tribal, centrist, and pro-government candidates dominated in the 130-seat election;
• the Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, garnered only 10 seats, down from 15 in the previous election;
• women, who are guaranteed 15 seats by Jordan’s legislative quota system, only won the requisite number, down from the 20 seats won in the previous election

highest courts:

Court of Cassation or Supreme Court (consists of 15 members, including the chief justice); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the king;
• other judges nominated by the Judicial Council, an 11-member judicial policymaking body consisting of high-level judicial officials and judges, and approved by the king;
• judge tenure generally not limited;
• Constitutional Court members appointed by the king for 6-year non-renewable terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 2 years

subordinate courts:

• Courts of Appeal;
• Great Felonies Court;
• religious courts;
• military courts;
• juvenile courts;
• Land Settlement Courts;
• Income Tax Court;
• Higher Administrative Court;
• Customs Court;
• special courts including the State Security Court

• Ahrar al-Urdun (Free People of Jordan) Party [Samir al-ZU'BI]
• Al-Awn al-Watani (National Aid) Party [Faysal al-AWAR]
• Al-Balad al-Amin Party [Khalil al-SAYED]
• Al-Itijah al-Watani (National Trend Party) [Ahmad al-KAYED]
• Al-Mustaqbal (Future) Party [Salah al-QUDAH]
• Al-Nida’ Party [Abd-al-Majid ABU-KHALID]
• Al-Rayah Party (Flag Party) [Bilal DHEISAT]
• Al-Shahama Party [Mashhour ZREIQAT]
• Al-Shura Party [Firas al-ABBADI]
• Arab Socialist Ba’th Party [Zyad AL-HOMSI]
• Conservatives Party [Hasan RASHID]
• Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa’eed DHIYAB]
• Democratic Sha’b Party (HASHD) [Abla ABU-OLBEH]
• Freedom and Equality Party [Hamad Abu ZEID]
• Islamic Action Front [Murad AL-ADAYLAH]
• Islamic Centrist Party [Madallah AL-TARAWNEH]
• Jordanian Al-Ansar Party [Awni al-RJOUB]
• Jordanian Al-Hayah Party [Abd-al-Fattah al-KILANI]
• Jordanian Communist Party [Faraj ITMIZYEH]
• Jordanian Democratic Socialist Party [Jamil al-NIMRI]
• Jordanian Democratic Tabiy’ah (Nature) Party [Ali ASFOUR]
• Jordanian Equality Party [Zuhair al-SHURAFA]
• Jordanian Fursan (Cavaliers Party) [Ali al-DHWEIB]
• Jordanian Justice and Development Party [Ali al-SHURAFA]
• Jordanian National Action Party [Abd-al-Hadi al-MAHARMAH]
• Jordanian National Constitutional Party [Ahmad al-SHUNNAQ]
• Jordanian National Democratic Grouping Party [Shakir al-ABBADI]
• Jordanian National Party [Muna ABU-BAKR]
• Jordanian National Union Party [Zeid ABU-ZEID]
• Jordanian Progressive Ba’th Party [Fu’ad DABBOUR]
• Jordanian Promise Party [Mahmoud al-KHALILI]
• Jordanian Reform Party [Eid DHAYYAT]
• Jordanian Social Justice Party [Abd-al-Fattah al-NSOUR]
• Jordanian Wafa’ (Loyalty) Party [Mazin al-QADI]
• Justice and Reform Party [Sa’eed Nathir ARABIYAT]
• Modernity and Change Party [Nayef al-HAMAYDEH]
• National Congress Party [Irhayil GHARAYBEH] (formerly the Zamzam party)
• National Renaissance Front Party [Isma’il KHATATBEH]
• National Unity Party [Muhammad al-ZBOUN]
• Pan Arab Movement Party [Dayfallah FARRAJ]
• Partnership and Salvation Party [Muhammad al-HAMMOURI]
• Reform and Renewal Party [Mazin RYAL]
• Risalah Party [Hazim QASHOU’]
• Stronger Jordan Party [Rula al-HROUB]
• Unified Jordanian Front Party [Farouq AL-ABBADI]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Dina Khalil Tawfiq KAWAR (since 27 June 2016)

chancery:

3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 966-2664

FAX:

[1] (202) 966-3110

email address and website:

[email protected]; http://www.jordanembassyus.org/

chief of mission:

Ambassador Henry T. WOOSTER (since 8 October 2020)

embassy:

Abdoun, Al-Umawyeen St., Amman

mailing address:

6050 Amman Place, Washington DC 20521-6050

telephone:

[962] (6) 590-6000

FAX:

[962] (6) 592-0163

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://jo.usembassy.gov/

• 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

name:

"As-salam al-malaki al-urdoni" (Long Live the King of Jordan)

lyrics/music:

Abdul-Mone'm al-RIFAI'/Abdul-Qader al-TANEER

note: adopted 1946; the shortened version of the anthem is used most commonly, while the full version is reserved for special occasions

Fitch rating:

BB- (2019)

Moody's rating:

B1 (2013)

Standard & Poors rating: B+ (2017)

agriculture:

2%

industry:

20%

services:

78% (2013 est.)

total:

37.3%

male:

34.8%

female:

49.4% (2019 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.4%

highest 10%:

28.7% (2010 est.)

• radio and TV dominated by the government-owned Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTV) that operates a main network, a sports network, a film network, and a satellite channel;
• first independent TV broadcaster aired in 2007;
• international satellite TV and Israeli and Syrian TV broadcasts are available;
• roughly 30 radio stations with JRTV operating the main government-owned station;
• transmissions of multiple international radio broadcasters are available

number of registered air carriers:

4 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 54

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

3,383,805 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

175.84 million mt-km (2018)

total:

1,596 km (2014)

narrow gauge:

509 km 1.050-m gauge (2014)

total:

7,203 km (2011)

paved:

7,203 km (2011)

Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF):

• Royal Jordanian Army (includes
  • Special Operations Forces,
  • Border Guards,
  • Royal Guard),
  • Royal Jordanian Air Force,
  • Royal Jordanian Coast Guard
  ;
• Ministry of Interior: Public Security Directorate (includes national police, the Gendarmerie, and the Civil Defense Directorate) (2021)

• 17 years of age for voluntary male military service (women can volunteer to serve in noncombat military positions in the Royal Jordanian Arab Army Women's Corps and RJAF);
• initial service term 2 years, with option to reenlist for 18 years;
• conscription abolished in 1991;
• however, in 2020, Jordan announced the reinstatement of compulsory military service for jobless men aged between 25 and 29 with 12 months of service, made up of three months of military training and nine months of professional and technical training;
• in 2019, announced a voluntary 4-month National Military Service program for men and women aged between 18-25 years who have been unemployed for at least six months;
• service would include one month for military training with the remaining three months dedicated to vocational training in the sectors of construction and tourism (2021)