Jordan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
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 Coat of arms
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Motto: الله، الوطن، الملك
Allāh, al-Waṭan, al-Malik "God, Country, King" |
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Anthem: السلام الملكي الأردني
Al-Salām al-Malakī al-Urdunī "The Royal Anthem of Jordan" |
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| Capital and largest city
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Amman 31°57′N 35°56′E / 31.950°N 35.933°E |
| Official languages | Arabic |
| Ethnic groups |
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| Religion | 1% others |
| Demonym(s) | Jordanian |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
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• Monarch
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Abdullah II |
| Jafar Hassan | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Senate | |
| House of Representatives | |
| Independence
from the United Kingdom
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• Emirate
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11 April 1921 |
| 25 May 1946 | |
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• Current constitution
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11 January 1952 |
| Area | |
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• Total
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89,342 km2 (34,495 sq mi) (110th) |
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• Water (%)
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0.6 |
| Population | |
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• 2023 estimate
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11,484,805 (84th) |
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• 2015 census
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9,531,712 |
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• Density
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114/km2 (295.3/sq mi) (70th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
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• Total
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 $132.092 billion (91st) |
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• Per capita
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$12,809 (112th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
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• Total
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$50.022 billion (93rd) |
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• Per capita
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$4,850 (114th) |
| Gini (2011) | 35.4 medium |
| HDI (2022) |  0.736high · 99th |
| Currency | Jordanian dinar (JOD) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +962 |
| ISO 3166 code | JO |
| Internet TLD | .jo .الاردن |
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Website
jordan.gov.jo |
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Jordan, officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an Arab country in Western Asia. It is located on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Jordan shares borders with Saudi Arabia to the south, Iraq to the northeast, Syria to the north, and Israel and Palestine to the west.
The Dead Sea is on its western border. Jordan also has a small coastline on the Red Sea in its far southwest. The country is in a very important spot where Asia, Africa, and Europe meet. Its capital city, Amman, is the largest city and the main center for business, government, and culture.
People have lived in the area that is now Jordan since ancient times. Important kingdoms like Ammon, Moab, and Edom were here. Later, the Nabataean Kingdom, the Roman Empire, and the Ottoman Empire ruled the land. After the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in 1916, Britain and France divided the Ottoman Empire.
The Emirate of Transjordan was created in 1921 by Abdullah I. It became a British protectorate. In 1946, Jordan became an independent country. It was first called the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan and then changed to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1949.
Jordan is a fairly small country. It is mostly dry and almost completely surrounded by land. It covers about 89,342 km2 (34,495 sq mi) and has about 10 million people. This makes it the 11th most populated Arab country. Most people in Jordan (about 95%) follow Sunni Islam. There is also a small group of Christians. Jordan is often called a "stable place" in a busy region.
The country has largely avoided the problems that have affected other countries in the region since 2010. Jordan has welcomed refugees from nearby countries in conflict since 1948. In 2015, about 2.1 million Palestinian refugees and 1.4 million Syrian refugees lived in Jordan. The country also provides safety for thousands of Iraqi Christians. While Jordan continues to help refugees, the large number of people arriving from Syria has put a lot of pressure on the country's resources.
Jordan is known for having a "high human development" and an "upper middle income" economy. Its economy is one of the smaller ones in the region. However, it attracts foreign investors because of its skilled workers. Jordan is also a popular place for tourists. Many people visit for medical tourism because of its good healthcare system. But, Jordan does not have many natural resources. Also, the large number of refugees and problems in the region have slowed down its economic growth.
Jordan is a constitutional monarchy, which means it has a king who is the head of state. However, the king does not have all the power. King Abdullah II has been the King of Jordan since February 1999. Most Jordanians are Muslim. There are also about 200,000 to 400,000 Christians.
Contents
Jordan's Geography and Landscapes
Jordan is located in a very important place where Asia, Africa, and Europe meet. It is part of the Levant area, which is known as a "cradle of civilization." The country covers about 89,341 square kilometres (34,495 sq mi). It is about 400 kilometres (250 mi) long from its northernmost point, Umm Qais, to its southernmost point, Aqaba. Jordan is located between 29° and 34° N latitude, and 34° and 40° E longitude.
Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and east, Iraq to the northeast, Syria to the north, and Israel and Palestine to the west.
The eastern part of Jordan is a dry plateau. It gets water from oases and streams that flow only during certain seasons. Most of Jordan's major cities are in the northwest. This area has fertile soil and more rainfall. These cities include Irbid, Jerash, and Zarqa in the northwest. The capital city, Amman, and As-Salt are in the central west. Madaba, Al-Karak, and Aqaba are in the southwest. In the east, the main towns are the oasis towns of Azraq and Ruwaished.
In the west, there is a highland area with good land for farming and evergreen forests. This land suddenly drops into the Jordan Rift Valley. The rift valley includes the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea separates Jordan from Israel. Jordan has a 26 kilometres (16 mi) coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea. Otherwise, it is a landlocked country. The Yarmuk River forms part of the border between Jordan and Syria to the north.
The highest point in Jordan is Jabal Umm al Dami, which is 1,854 m (6,083 ft) above sea level. The lowest point is the Dead Sea, at −420 m (−1,378 ft) below sea level. This makes the Dead Sea the lowest land point on Earth.
Jordan has many different types of environments and living things. The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature was created in 1966. Its goal is to protect Jordan's natural resources. Some of Jordan's Nature reserves in Jordan include the Dana Biosphere Reserve, the Azraq Wetland Reserve, the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve, and the Mujib Nature Reserve.
Jordan's Climate
Jordan's climate changes a lot. Generally, the further you go from the Mediterranean Sea, the bigger the temperature differences and the less rain there is. The average height of the land is 812 m (2,664 ft) above sea level.
The highlands above the Jordan Valley, the mountains of the Dead Sea, and the Wadi Araba area have a Mediterranean climate. This means they have hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The eastern and northeastern parts of the country are dry deserts. Even though deserts get very hot, the low humidity and a daytime breeze usually make the heat feel less intense. Nights in the desert are cool.
Summers in Jordan last from May to September. They are hot and dry, with average temperatures around 32 °C (90 °F). Sometimes, temperatures can go above 40 °C (104 °F) in July and August. Winter lasts from November to March. It is quite cool, with average temperatures around 11.08 °C (52 °F). In winter, there are often showers, and some higher areas in the west might even get snow.
Jordan's Plants and Animals
More than 2,000 types of plants have been found in Jordan. Many flowering plants bloom in the spring after the winter rains. The type of plants that grow depends a lot on how much rain an area gets. The mountainous areas in the northwest have forests. Further south and east, the plants become more like shrubs and then change to desert-like plants. Forests cover less than 2% of Jordan, which is much lower than the world average of 15%. This makes Jordan one of the countries with the fewest forests.
Some plant species found in Jordan include the Aleppo pine, Sarcopoterium, Salvia dominica, black iris, Tamarix, Anabasis, Artemisia, Acacia, Mediterranean cypress, and Phoenecian juniper. The mountainous regions in the northwest have natural forests of pine, deciduous oak, evergreen oak, pistachio, and wild olive trees.
Animals found in Jordan include the long-eared hedgehog, Nubian ibex, wild boar, fallow deer, Arabian wolf, desert monitor, honey badger, glass snake, caracal, golden jackal, and the roe deer. Birds include the hooded crow, Eurasian jay, lappet-faced vulture, barbary falcon, hoopoe, pharaoh eagle-owl, common cuckoo, Tristram's starling, Palestine sunbird, Sinai rosefinch, lesser kestrel, house crow, and the white-spectacled bulbul.
Jordan has four main land environments: dry grasslands and shrubs of Syria, Mediterranean forests, Mesopotamian desert shrubs, and tropical deserts and semi-deserts of the Red Sea region.
Jordan's Natural Resources
Jordan is one of the countries with the least amount of water per person in the world. The arrival of many Syrian refugees has made this water shortage even worse. Water from the Disi aquifer and ten large dams have historically provided much of Jordan's fresh water. The Jawa Dam in northeastern Jordan, built in the fourth millennium BC, is the oldest dam in the world.
The Dead Sea is shrinking at a fast rate. Many plans have been suggested to stop it from shrinking, which has caused sinkholes to appear. The Red Sea–Dead Sea Water Conveyance project, led by Jordan, will bring water to Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. The salty water from this project will also go into the Dead Sea to help keep its levels stable. The first part of this project was planned to start in 2018 and finish in 2021.
Natural gas was found in Jordan in 1987. However, the amount found was very small compared to its oil-rich neighbors. The Risha field, in the eastern desert near the Iraqi border, produces about 35 million cubic feet of gas each day. This gas is sent to a nearby power plant to create a small amount of Jordan's electricity. Because of this, Jordan relies on importing oil for almost all of its electricity needs.
In 2012, Jordan built a liquified natural gas port in Aqaba. This was a temporary solution for its energy supply. Jordan gets 330 days of sunshine each year, and wind speeds can reach over 7 meters per second in the mountains. This makes renewable energy a promising area for the country. King Abdullah started large renewable energy projects in the 2010s. By early 2018, more than 500 MW of renewable energy projects were finished. A report called Jordan the Middle East's "solar powerhouse."
Jordan has the fifth largest oil-shale reserves in the world. These can be found in the central and northwestern parts of the country. Official numbers estimate Jordan's oil shale reserves at more than 70 billion tons. Jordan also wants to use its large uranium reserves to create nuclear energy. In 2018, the government announced that Jordan was talking with companies to build its first commercial nuclear plant. This plant, a Helium-cooled reactor, is planned to be finished by 2025. Phosphate mines in the south have made Jordan one of the world's biggest producers and exporters of this mineral.
Jordan's Government and Politics
Jordan is a unitary state with a constitutional monarchy. This means it is a single state ruled by a king, but the king's power is limited by a constitution. The constitution, first adopted in 1952, sets out the rules for the king, the government, the parliament, and the courts.
The king has many powers in the government and in making laws. He uses these powers through the government, which he chooses for a four-year term. This government is responsible to the parliament. The parliament has two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The courts are supposed to be independent, but sometimes they are not fully independent in practice.
The king is the head of state and the leader of the Armed Forces. He can declare war and peace, approve laws and agreements, start and end meetings of the parliament, call and delay elections, fire the government, and dissolve the parliament. The elected House of Representatives can also remove the appointed government with a majority vote.
When the government suggests a new law, it must be approved by the House of Representatives, then the Senate. It becomes a law after the king approves it. If the king rejects a law, the parliament can still pass it with a two-thirds vote from both houses together. The parliament can also question government officials.
The king directly chooses the 65 members of the Senate. These members are usually experienced politicians, judges, and generals. The 130 members of the House of Representatives are chosen by voters in elections every four years. There are special rules to make sure women (15 seats), Christians (9 seats), and Circassians and Chechens (3 seats) have a certain number of seats in the House of Representatives.
Jordan's courts are divided into three types: civil, religious, and special. Civil courts handle regular civil and criminal cases, including those against the government. These include lower courts, first instance courts, appeal courts, and high administrative courts. The constitutional court, set up in 2012, checks if laws follow the constitution.
Even though Islam is the official religion, the constitution protects religious and personal freedoms. Religious laws only apply to personal matters like divorce and inheritance in religious courts. These laws are partly based on Islamic sharia law. Special courts handle cases sent to them by the civil courts.
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Jordan's Administrative Divisions
Jordan is divided into 12 areas called governorates. These are informally grouped into three regions: northern, central, and southern. Each governorate is further divided into districts, and then into sub-districts. Each administrative unit has a main town, called a nahia, where its control center is located.
| Map | Governorate | Capital | Population | ||
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| Northern region | |||||
| 1 | Irbid | Irbid | 1,770,158 | ||
| 2 | Mafraq | Mafraq | 549,948 | ||
| 3 | Jerash | Jerash | 237,059 | ||
| 4 | Ajloun | Ajloun | 176,080 | ||
| Central region | |||||
| 5 | Amman | Amman | 4,007,256 | ||
| 6 | Zarqa | Zarqa | 1,364,878 | ||
| 7 | Balqa | As-Salt | 491,709 | ||
| 8 | Madaba | Madaba | 189,192 | ||
| Southern region | |||||
| 9 | Karak | Al-Karak | 316,629 | ||
| 10 | Aqaba | Aqaba | 188,160 | ||
| 11 | Ma'an | Ma'an | 144,083 | ||
| 12 | Tafila | Tafila | 96,291 | ||
Jordan's Largest Cities
The capital city is Amman, located in north-central Jordan.
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Largest cities or towns in Jordan
According to the 2015 Census |
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| Rank | Name | Pop. |
| 1 | Amman | 1,812,059 |
| 2 | Zarqa | 635,160 |
| 3 | Irbid | 502,714 |
| 4 | Russeifa | 472,604 |
| 5 | Ar-Ramtha | 155,693 |
| 6 | Aqaba | 148,398 |
| 7 | Al-Mafraq | 106,008 |
| 8 | Madaba | 105,353 |
| 9 | As-Salt | 99,890 |
| 10 | Jerash | 50,745 |
Tourism in Jordan
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Tourism is a very important part of Jordan's economy. It provides many jobs, brings in foreign money, and helps the economy grow. In 2010, 8 million people visited Jordan. Most tourists came from European and Arab countries. However, problems in the region, like the Arab Spring, greatly affected tourism in Jordan. The number of tourists dropped by 70% from 2010 to 2016. But, tourist numbers started to get better in 2017.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, Jordan has about 100,000 historical and tourist sites. Some very well-preserved ancient cities include Petra and Jerash. Petra is Jordan's most popular tourist spot and a symbol of the country. Jordan is part of the Holy Land and has several important biblical sites that attract religious visitors. These sites include Al-Maghtas (where many believe Jesus was baptized), Mount Nebo, Umm ar-Rasas, Madaba, and Machaerus.
Islamic sites include shrines of the prophet Muhammad's companions like 'Abd Allah ibn Rawahah, Zayd ibn Harithah, and Muadh ibn Jabal. Ajlun Castle, built by the Muslim leader Saladin in the 12th century during his wars with the Crusaders, is also a popular place to visit.
Modern entertainment and fun activities in cities, especially in Amman, also attract tourists. Valleys like Wadi Mujib and hiking trails across the country are popular with adventurers. Also, you can enjoy beach activities on the shores of Aqaba and the Dead Sea, where there are several international resorts.
Jordan is the top country in the region for medical tourism, according to the World Bank. It ranks fifth in the world overall. Most patients come from Yemen, Libya, and Syria because of the ongoing civil wars in those countries. Jordanian doctors and medical staff have a lot of experience treating war patients because they have received many such cases from conflict areas in the region over the years.
Jordan is also a center for natural treatments at both Ma'in Hot Springs and the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is often called a "natural spa." It has 10 times more salt than the average ocean, which makes it impossible to sink. The high salt in the Dead Sea has been shown to help with many skin diseases. This unique lake attracts many Jordanian and foreign visitors, which has led to more hotels being built in the area.
The Jordan Trail is a 650 km (400 mi) hiking path that goes through the entire country from north to south. It passes by many of Jordan's attractions and was created in 2015 to help boost Jordan's tourism.
Jordan's Culture
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Many groups in Jordan work to share Jordanian art and show off its art movements, including paintings, sculptures, graffiti, and photography. The art scene has grown a lot in recent years, and Jordan has become a safe place for artists from nearby countries. In January 2016, for the first time, a Jordanian film called Theeb was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
The largest museum in Jordan is The Jordan Museum. It holds many valuable old discoveries from the country. These include some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient limestone statues from 'Ain Ghazal, and a copy of the Mesha Stele. Most museums in Jordan are in Amman, such as The Children's Museum Jordan, The Martyr's Memorial and Museum, and the Royal Automobile Museum. Outside Amman, there is the Aqaba Archaeological Museum. The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts is a major modern art museum in Amman.
Music in Jordan is growing, with many new bands and artists becoming popular in the Middle East. The Jerash Festival is an annual music event that features famous Arab singers. Pianist and composer Zade Dirani has become well-known around the world. There is also a growing number of alternative Arabic rock bands that are becoming very popular in the Arab world.
Jordan's Cuisine
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Jordan is the 8th largest producer of olives in the world, so olive oil is the main cooking oil used there. A common appetizer is hummus, which is a creamy dip made from chickpeas mixed with tahini, lemon, and garlic. Ful medames is another well-known appetizer. It used to be a typical worker's meal but is now enjoyed by everyone.
A typical Jordanian meze (a selection of small dishes) often includes koubba maqliya (fried meatballs), labaneh (strained yogurt), baba ghanoush (eggplant dip), tabbouleh (salad), olives, and pickles. Meze is often served with arak, an alcoholic drink made from grapes and aniseed, similar to ouzo. Jordanian wine and beer are also sometimes served. These same dishes, without alcohol, can also be called "muqabbilat" (starters) in Arabic.
The most special Jordanian dish is mansaf, which is the national dish of Jordan. This dish is a symbol of Jordanian hospitality and comes from the Bedouin culture. Mansaf is eaten on special occasions like funerals, weddings, and religious holidays. It is a plate of rice with meat that has been boiled in thick yogurt, topped with pine nuts and sometimes herbs. Traditionally, this dish is eaten with one's hands.
Fresh fruit is often served at the end of a Jordanian meal. There are also desserts like baklava, hareeseh, knafeh, halva, and qatayef, a special dish made for Ramadan. In Jordanian culture, drinking coffee and tea flavored with mint or sage is almost a ritual.
Related pages
Images for kids
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The 'Ain Ghazal Statues (around 7250 BC) from Amman are some of the oldest human statues ever found.
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The Mesha Stele (around 840 BC) tells the story of Mesha, King of Moab.
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Al-Khazneh in Petra (around 1st century AD) is thought to be the tomb of the Arab Nabataean King Aretas IV.
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The Oval Forum of Jerash (around 1st century AD). Jerash was part of the ten-city Roman league called the Decapolis. Seven of these ten cities are in modern-day Jordan.
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The first detailed map of the land that became Jordan, showing the travels of Johann Ludwig Burckhardt (the first European to see Petra since the Crusades) in 1822.
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Soldiers of the Hashemite-led Arab Army holding the flag of the Great Arab Revolt in 1916.
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Al-Salt residents gather on August 20, 1920, during the visit of the British High Commissioner to Transjordan.
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King Abdullah I reading the declaration of independence on May 25, 1946.
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King Hussein on March 21, 1968, checking an abandoned Israeli tank after the Battle of Karameh.
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Changes in Jordan's GDP per person from 1950 to 2018. These numbers are adjusted for inflation.
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Queen Alia International Airport near Amman was named the best airport in the Middle East in 2014 and 2015 by ASQ.
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The Aqaba Flagpole in Aqaba, Jordan's only city on the coast.
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The 117 MW Tafila Wind Farm in southern Jordan is the first and largest onshore wind farm in the Middle East.
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An aerial view of part of the Zaatari refugee camp. This camp has 80,000 Syrian refugees and is the largest Syrian refugee camp in the world.
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See also
In Spanish: Jordania para niños
