1993 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1993 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 89,213 km2 land area: 88,884 km2 comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana
Climate
mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)
Coastline
26 km
Environment
lack of natural water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
International disputes
differences with Israel over the location of the 1949 Armistice Line that separates the two countries; water-sharing issues with Israel
Irrigated land
570 km2 (1989 est.)
Land boundaries
total 1,619 km, Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 728 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
Land use
arable land: 4% permanent crops: 0.5% meadows and pastures: 1% forest and woodland: 0.5% other: 94%
Location
Middle East, between Israel and Saudi Arabia
Map references
Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 3 nm
Natural resources
phosphates, potash, shale oil
Terrain
mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
People and Society
Birth rate
39.48 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate
4.32 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Ethnic divisions
Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
Infant mortality rate
33.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Labor force
572,000 (1988) by occupation: agriculture 20%, manufacturing and mining 20% (1987 est.)
Languages
Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 71.61 years male: 69.83 years female: 73.51 years (1993 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 80% male: 89% female: 70%
Nationality
noun: Jordanian(s) adjective: Jordanian
Net migration rate
0.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Population
3,823,636 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate
3.57% (1993 est.)
Religions
Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 8%
Total fertility rate
5.79 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
8 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Ma'an
Capital
Amman
Chief of State
King HUSSEIN Ibn Talal Al Hashemi (since 11 August 1952)
Constitution
8 January 1952
Digraph
JO
Diplomatic representation in US
chief of mission: Ambassador Fayez A. TARAWNEH chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 966-2664
Executive branch
monarch, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
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
Head of Government
Prime Minister Zayd bin SHAKIR (since 21 November 1991)
House of Representatives
last held 8 November 1989 (next to be held November 1993); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (80 total) Muslim Brotherhood (fundamentalist) 22, Independent Islamic bloc (generally traditionalist) 6, Democratic bloc (mostly leftist) 9, Constitutionalist bloc (traditionalist) 17, Nationalist bloc (traditionalist) 16, independent 10
Independence
25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
Judicial branch
Court of Cassation
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'ayan) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Majlis al-Nuwaab); note - the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved by the King several times since 1974 and in November 1989 the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held
Member of
ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOSOM, UNRWA, UNPROFOR, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Names
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
National holiday
Independence Day, 25 May (1946)
Political parties and leaders
approximately 24 parties have been formed since the National Charter, but the number fluctuates; after the 1989 parliamentary elections, King Hussein promised to allow the formation of political parties; a national charter that sets forth the ground rules for democracy in Jordan - including the creation of political parties - was approved in principle by the special National Conference on 9 June 1991, but its specific provisions have yet to be passed by National Assembly
Suffrage
20 years of age; universal
Type
constitutional monarchy
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: Ambassador Roger Gram HARRISON embassy: Jebel Amman, Amman mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman, or APO AE 09892 telephone: [962] (6) 644-371
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for about 7% of GDP; principal products are wheat, barley, citrus fruit, tomatoes, melons, olives; livestock - sheep, goats, poultry; large net importer of food
Budget
revenues $1.3 billion; expenditures $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $440 million (1992 est.)
Currency
1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.7 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.5 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $44 million
Electricity
1,030,000 kW capacity; 3,814 million kWh produced, 1,070 kWh per capita (1992)
Exchange rates
Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 - 0.6890 (January 1993), 0.6797 (1992), 0.6808 (1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3709 (1988)
Exports
$1.0 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: phosphates, fertilizers, potash, agricultural products, manufactures partners: India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, UAE, China
External debt
$9 billion (December 1991 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Imports
$2.3 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.) commodities: crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, food, live animals, manufactured goods partners: EC countries, US, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Turkey
Industrial production
growth rate 1% (1991 est.); accounts for 20% of GDP
Industries
phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash, light manufacturing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
9% (1991 est.)
National product
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $3.6 billion (1991 est.)
National product per capita
$1,100 (1991 est.)
National product real growth rate
3% (1991 est.)
Overview
Jordan benefited from increased Arab aid during the oil boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when its annual GNP growth averaged more than 10%. In the remainder of the 1980s, however, reductions in both Arab aid and worker remittances slowed economic growth to an average of roughly 2% per year. Imports - mainly oil, capital goods, consumer durables, and food - have been outstripping 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 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 and worker remittances have plunged, and refugees have flooded the country, straining government resources. Economic recovery is unlikely without substantial foreign aid, debt relief, and economic reform.
Unemployment rate
40% (1991 est.)
Communications
Airports
total: 19 usable: 15 with permanent-surface runways: 14 with runways over 3,659 m: 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 13 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
Highways
7,500 km; 5,500 km asphalt, 2,000 km gravel and crushed stone
Merchant marine
2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 60,378 GRT/113,557 DWT; includes 1 cargo and 1 oil tanker
Pipelines
crude oil 209 km
Ports
Al 'Aqabah
Railroads
789 km 1.050-meter gauge, single track
Telecommunications
adequate telephone system of microwave, cable, and radio links; 81,500 telephones; broadcast stations - 5 AM, 7 FM, 8 TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT, 1 domestic TV receive-only; coaxial cable and microwave to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria; microwave link to Lebanon is inactive; participant in MEDARABTEL, a microwave radio relay network linking Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco
Military and Security
Branches
Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal Jordanian Air Force, Royal Naval Force, Public Security Force
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $434.8 million, 7.9% of GDP (1993 est.)
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 936,213; fit for military service 664,095; reach military age (18) annually 42,093 (1993 est.)