Jordan

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

5 (2000)

Internet country code

.jo

Internet users

87,500 (2000)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999)

Radios

1.66 million (1997)

Telephone system

general assessment: service has improved recently with the increased use of digital switching equipment, but better access to the telephone system is needed in the rural areas and easier access to pay telephones is needed by the urban public domestic: microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; considerable use is made of mobile cellular systems; Internet service is available international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals; fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria; connection to international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); participant in MEDARABTEL; international links total about 4,000

Telephones - main lines in use

403,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular

11,500 (1995)

Television broadcast stations

20 (plus 96 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions

500,000 (1997)

Agriculture - products

wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats, poultry

Budget

revenues: $2.8 billion expenditures: $3.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Currency

Jordanian dinar (JOD)

Currency code

JOD

Debt - external

$8 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

ODA, $850 million (1996 est.)

Economy - overview

Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil. The Persian Gulf crisis, which began in August 1990, aggravated Jordan's already serious economic problems, forcing the government to stop most debt payments and suspend rescheduling negotiations. Aid from Gulf Arab states, worker remittances, and trade revenues contracted. Refugees flooded the country, producing serious balance-of-payments problems, stunting GDP growth, and straining government resources. The economy rebounded in 1992, largely due to the influx of capital repatriated by workers returning from the Gulf. After averaging 9% in 1992-95, GDP growth averaged only 1.5% during 1996-99. In an attempt to spur growth, King ABDALLAH has undertaken limited economic reform, including partial privatization of some state-owned enterprises and Jordan's entry in January 2000 into the World Trade Organization (WTrO). Debt, poverty, and unemployment are fundamental ongoing economic problems.

Electricity - consumption

6.594 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports

4 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports

407 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production

6.657 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 99.79% hydro: 0.21% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)

Exchange rates

Jordanian dinars per US dollar - 0.7090 (1996-present ) note: since May 1989, the Jordanian dinar has been pegged to a group of currencies

Exports

$2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities

phosphates, fertilizers, potash, agricultural products, manufactures

Exports - partners

India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, EU, Indonesia, UAE, Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, Ethiopia

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $17.3 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 3% industry: 25% services: 72% (1998 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $3,500 (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 34.7% (1991)

Imports

$4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities

crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, food, live animals, manufactured goods

Imports - partners

Iraq, Germany, US, Japan, UK, Italy, Turkey, Malaysia, Syria, China

Industrial production growth rate

3.8% (2000 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.7% (2000 est.)

Labor force

1.15 million note: in addition, at least 300,000 workers are employed abroad (1997 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

industry 11.4%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 10.5%, construction 10%, transport and communications 8.7%, agriculture 7.4%, other services 52% (1992)

Population below poverty line

30% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate

15% official rate; actual rate is 25%-30% (1999 est.)

Area

total: 92,300 sq km land: 91,971 sq km water: 329 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Indiana

Climate

mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)

Coastline

26 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m

Environment - current issues

limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

31 00 N, 36 00 E

Irrigated land

630 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 1,619 km border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 728 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km

Land use

arable land: 4% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 9% forests and woodland: 1% other: 85% (1993 est.)

Location

Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 3 NM

Natural hazards

droughts

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

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Amman

Constitution

8 January 1952

Country name

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador William J. BURNS embassy: Abdoum, Amman mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; APO AE 09892-0200 telephone: [962] (6) 5920101

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Marwan Jamil MUASHER chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664

Executive branch

chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Crown Prince HAMZAH (half brother of the monarch, born 29 March 1980) head of government: Prime Minister Ali Abul RAGHEB (since 19 June 2000) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch

FAX

[1] (202) 966-3110

FAX

[962] (6) 5920121

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of black (top, the Abbassid Caliphate of Islam), white (the Ummayyad Caliphate of Islam), and green (the Fatimid Caliphate of Islam) with a red isosceles triangle (representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916) based on the hoist side 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

Government type

constitutional monarchy

Independence

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

International organization participation

ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal)

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 or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate (a 40-member body appointed by the monarch from designated categories of public figures; members serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (80 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 4 November 1997 (next to be held NA November 2001) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - National Constitutional Party 2, Arab Land Party 1, independents 75, other 2 note: the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved by the monarch several times since 1974; in November 1989 the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held

National holiday

Independence Day, 25 May (1946)

Political parties and leaders

Al-Umma (Nation) Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH, secretary general]; Arab Land Party [Dr. Muhammad al-'ORAN, secretary general]; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'eed THIYAB, secretary general]; National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi MAJALI, secretary general]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Council of Professional Association Presidents [Ahmad al-QADIRI, chairman]; Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim Brotherhood [Abd-al-Majid DHUNAYBAT, secretary general]

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal

Background

For most of its history since independence from British administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN (1953-1999). A pragmatic ruler, he successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, through several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he resumed parliamentary elections and gradually permitted political liberalization; in 1994 a formal peace treaty was signed with Israel. King ABDALLAH II - the eldest son of King HUSSEIN and Princess MUNA - assumed the throne following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power and established his domestic priorities.

Military branches

Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF; includes Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal Naval Force, and Royal Jordanian Air Force); Ministry of the Interior's Public Security Force (falls under JAF only in wartime or crisis situations)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$608.9 million (FY98/99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

7.8% (FY98/99)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 1,458,571 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 1,034,109 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 57,131 (2001 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 37.23% (male 980,345; female 938,081) 15-64 years: 59.44% (male 1,633,579; female 1,429,631) 65 years and over: 3.33% (male 84,815; female 86,927) (2001 est.)

Birth rate

25.44 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate

2.62 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Ethnic groups

Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.02% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

20.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Languages

Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 77.53 years male: 75.1 years female: 80.12 years (2001 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.6% male: 93.4% female: 79.4% (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun: Jordanian(s) adjective: Jordanian

Net migration rate

7.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Population

5,153,378 (July 2001 est.)

Population growth rate

3% (2001 est.)

Religions

Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek Catholics, Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several small Shi'a Muslim and Druze populations) (2000 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.29 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Airports

18 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 15 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)

Heliports

1 (2000 est.)

Highways

total: 8,000 km paved: 8,000 km unpaved: 0 km (2000 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 40,919 GRT/57,777 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 3, container 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 209 km; note - may not be in use

Ports and harbors

Al 'Aqabah

Railways

total: 677 km narrow gauge: 677 km 1.050-m gauge (2000)

Waterways

none