Area
89,342 sq km (34,495 sq
miles).
Population
5.9 million (CIA estimate
2006).
Population Density
66 per sq km.
Capital
Amman. Population:
2.5 million (2006 estimate).
Government
Constitutional Monarchy
since 1952.
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| General Key Facts About Jordan | |
Jordan,
officially Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, kingdom (1995
est. pop. 4,101,000), 37,737 sq mi (97,740 sq km), SW
Asia, bordered by Israel (W), Syria (N), Iraq (NE), and
Saudi Arabia (E, S). Amman is the capital and largest
city. Pre-1967 Jordan fell into three main geographical
regions: East Jordan, which encompasses about 92% of the
country's land area; the Jordanian Highlands (highest
point, 5,755 ft/1,754 m); and West Jordan (the West
Bank, part of historic Palestine. In the Arab-Israeli
War of 1967, Israel captured and occupied the West Bank,
and Jordan has since renounced its claim to the area
(see below). Jordan's economy has traditionally been
based on agriculture, although less than 5% of the land
is arable. The principal crops are vegetables, wheat,
and citrus fruits; olives are grown for oil.
Manufactures are limited to such items as foodstuffs,
clothing, and cement, and there is some oil refining.
Phosphate rock and potash are the only minerals produced
in quantity. The annual cost of Jordan's imports far
exceeds its earnings from exports. Aqaba, on the Gulf of
Aqaba, is the only seaport. The inhabitants of Jordan
are mostly of Arab descent (over half are of Palestinian
descent), and Arabic is the official language, although
English is also spoken among the higher socio-economic
groups. About 95% of the people are Sunni Muslims. Under
the 1952 constitution, the king is the most powerful
figure in the country; he appoints a cabinet (headed by
a prime minister). The bicameral parliament has been
convened and dissolved by the king several times since
1974; the 1989 elections were the first in 22 years.
Political parties were again permitted to field
candidates in 1993.
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