1989 Edition

Administrative divisions

8 governorates (muhafazat, singular — muhafazah); Al Balqa", Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, A{ Tafilah, Az Zarq5', Irbid, Ma'5n

Agriculture

accounts for only 5% of GDP; principal products are wheat, barley, citrus fruit, tomatoes, melons, olives; livestock— sheep, goats, poultry; large net importer of food

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.7 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.5 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $44 million

Budget

revenues $0.92 billion; expenditures $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $540 million (1989 est.)

Capital

Amman

Climate

tropical

Coastline

24.1 km

Communists

party actively repressed, membership less than 500 (est.)

Comparative area

about 7.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Constitution

8 January 1952

Contiguous zone

1 2 nm

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Currency

Jordanian dinar (plural — dinars); 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Hussein A. HAMMAMI; Chancery at 3504 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 966-2664; US — Ambassador Roscoe S. SUDDARTH; Embassy on Jebel Amman, Amman (mailing address is P. O. Box 354, Amman, or APO New York 09892); telephone [962] (6) 644371 through

Disputes

claimed by Madagascar

Elections

House of Representatives — last held 8 November 1989 (next to be held NA); results — percent of vote NA; seats — (80 total) percent of vote NA

Electricity

981,000 kW capacity; 3,500 million kWh produced, 1,180 kWh per capita (1989)

Environment

subject to periodic cyclones; wildlife sanctuary

Exchange rates

Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1— 0.6557 (January 1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3715 (1988), 0.3387 (1987), 0.3499(1986), 0.3940(1985) Fiscal yean calendar year

Executive branch

monarch, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

Exports

$0.910 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities — fruits and vegetables, phosphates, fertilizers; partners — Iraq, Saudi Arabia, India, Kuwait, Japan, China, Yugoslavia, Indonesia

Extended economic zone

200 nm

External debt

$8.3 billion (December 1989)

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

GNP

$5.2 billion, per capita $1,760; real growth rate 0%(1989)

Imports

$1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.); commodities — crude oil, textiles, capital goods, motor vehicles, foodstuffs; partners— EC, US, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Turkey, Romania, China, Taiwan

Independence

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

Industrial production

growth rate —7.8% (1988 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

35% (1989 est.)

Judicial branch

Court of Cassation

Land boundaries

none

Land use

0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 90% forest and woodland; 10% other

Leaders

Chief of State— King HUSSEIN Ibn Talal I (since 11 August 1952); Head of Government — Prime Minister Mudar BADRAN (since 4 December 1989) Political parties and leaders: none; after 1989 parliamentary elections, King Hussein promised to allow the formation of political parties

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

Legislative branch

bicameral National Assembly (Majlis al 'Umma) consists of an upper house or House of Notables (Majlis al-A'yaan) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Majlis al-Nuwwab); note — the House of Representatives was dissolved by King Hussein on 30 July 1988 as part of Jordanian disengagement from the West Bank and in November 1 989 the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held, with no seats going to Palestinians on the West Bank

Member of

ACC, Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB — Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, QIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

Independence Day, 25 May (1946)

Natural resources

guano deposits and other fertilizers

Note

located in the central Mozambique Channel about halfway between Africa and Madagascar

Suffrage

universal at age 20

Terrain

undetermined

Territorial sea

1 2 nm

Total area

4.4 km2; land area: 4.4 km2

Type

constitutional monarchy

Unemployment rate

9-10% (December 1989 est.)

Population

uninhabited

Long-form name

none

Type

French possession administered by Commissioner of the Republic Daniel CONSTANTIN, resident in Reunion

Overview

Jordan was a secondary beneficiary of the oil boom of the late 1 970s and early 1980s, when its GNP growth averaged 10-12%. Recent years, however, have witnessed a sharp reduction in cash aid from Arab oil-producing countries and in worker remittances, with growth averaging 1-2%. Imports — mainly oil, capital goods, consumer durables, and foodstuffs — have been outstripping exports by roughly $2 billion annually, the difference being made up by aid, remittances, and borrowing. In 1989 the government pursued policies to encourage private investment, curb imports of luxury goods,

no economic activity

Airports

19 total, 16 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 1 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,2202,439 m

Branches

Jordan Arab Army, Royal Jordanian Air Force, Royal Jordanian Coast Guard

Civil air

19 major transport aircraft

Defense expenditures

1 1% of GNP, or $570 million (1990 est.) Mozambique Channel Sec regional map VII

Highways

7,500 km; 5,500 km asphalt, 2,000 km gravel and crushed stone

Merchant marine

3 ships (1,000 CRT or over) totaling 32,635 GRT/44,618 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 2 bulk cargo

Military manpower

males 15-49, 726,736; 519,972 fit for military service; 38,730 reach military age (18) annually

Pipelines

crude oil, 209 km

Ports

Al Aqabah Juan de Nova Island (French possession)

Railroads

619 km 1.050-meter gauge, single track

Telecommunications

adequate system of radio relay, cable, and radio; 8 1 ,500 telephones; stations — 4 AM, 3 FM, 24 TV; satellite earth stations — 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT, 1 domestic TV receive-only; coaxial cable and radio relay to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria; radio relay to Lebanon is inactive; a microwave network linking Syria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Jordan Defense Forces