Jordan

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية (Arabic)
al-Mamlakah al-ʾUrdunniyah al-Hāshimiyah
Motto: الله، الوطن، الملك
Allāh, al-Waṭan, al-Malik
"God, Country, King"[1]
Anthem: السلام الملكي الأردني
As-Salām Al-Malakī Al-ʾUrdunī
"The Royal Anthem of Jordan"
Location of Jordan
Capital
and largest city
Amman
31°57′N 35°56′E / 31.950°N 35.933°E / 31.950; 35.933
Official languagesArabic[2]
Ethnic groups
Religion
1% others
Demonym(s)Jordanian
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Monarch
Abdullah II
Bisher Khasawneh
LegislatureParliament
Senate
House of Representatives
Independence 
• Emirate
11 April 1921
25 May 1946
11 January 1952
Area
• Total
89,342 km2 (34,495 sq mi) (110th)
• Water (%)
0.6
Population
• 2023 estimate
11,484,805[3] (84th)
• 2015 census
9,531,712[4]
• Density
114/km2 (295.3/sq mi) (70th)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $132.092 billion[5] (91st)
• Per capita
Increase $12,809[5] (112th)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $50.022 billion[5] (93rd)
• Per capita
Increase $4,850[5] (114th)
Gini (2011)35.4[6]
medium
HDI (2021)Decrease 0.720[7]
high (102nd)
CurrencyJordanian dinar (JOD)
Time zoneUTC+3
Driving sideright
Calling code+962
ISO 3166 codeJO
Internet TLD.jo
.الاردن

Jordan,[a] officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,[b] is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and the Palestinian West Bank and Israel to the west. The Jordan River, flowing into the Dead Sea, is located along the country's western border, while Jordan has a small coastline along the Red Sea in its southwest, separated by the Gulf of Aqaba from Egypt. Amman is Jordan's capital and largest city, as well as the most populous city in the Levant.

Modern-day Jordan has been inhabited by humans since the Paleolithic period. Three kingdoms emerged in Transjordan at the end of the Bronze Age: Ammon, Moab and Edom. In the third century BC, the Arab Nabataeans established their Kingdom centered in Petra. Later rulers of the Transjordan region include the Assyrian, Babylonian, Roman, Byzantine, Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid, and the Ottoman empires. After the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in 1916 during World War I, the Greater Syria region was partitioned by Britain and France. The Emirate of Transjordan was established in 1921 by the Hashemite, then Emir, Abdullah I, and the emirate became a British protectorate. In 1946, Jordan gained independence and became officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.[c] The country captured and annexed the West Bank during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War until it was occupied by Israel in 1967. Jordan renounced its claim to the territory to the Palestinians in 1988, and signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.

Jordan is a semi-arid country, covering an area of 89,342 km2 (34,495 sq mi), with a population of 11.5 million, making it the eleventh-most populous Arab country. The dominant majority, or around 95% of the country's population, is Sunni Muslim, with a mostly Arab Christian minority. Jordan was mostly unscathed by the violence that swept the region following the Arab Spring in 2010. From as early as 1948, Jordan has accepted refugees from multiple neighbouring countries in conflict. An estimated 2.1 million Palestinian and 1.4 million Syrian refugees were present in Jordan in 2015, with most Palestinian refugees holding Jordanian citizenship.[4] The kingdom is also a refuge for thousands of Christian Iraqis fleeing persecution by the Islamic State.[8][9] While Jordan continues to accept refugees, the recent large influx from Syria placed substantial strain on national resources and infrastructure.[10]

The sovereign state is a constitutional monarchy, but the king holds wide executive and legislative powers. Jordan is a founding member of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation. The country has a high Human Development Index, ranking 102nd, and is considered a lower middle income economy. The Jordanian economy, one of the smallest economies in the region, is attractive to foreign investors based upon a skilled workforce.[11] The country is a major tourist destination, also attracting medical tourism due to its well developed health sector.[12] Nonetheless, a lack of natural resources, large flow of refugees, and regional turmoil have hampered economic growth.[13]

  1. ^ Temperman, Jeroen (2010). State-Religion Relationships and Human Rights Law: Towards a Right to Religiously Neutral Governance. Brill. p. 87. ISBN 978-90-04-18148-9. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  2. ^ "Jordanian Constitution". Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Constitutional Court. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  3. ^ "Population clock". Jordan Department of Statistics. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b Ghazal, Mohammad (22 January 2016). "Population stands at around 9.5 million, including 2.9 million guests". The Jordan Times. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Jordan)". International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Gini index". World Bank. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  7. ^ "Human Development Report 2021/2022" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 8 September 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  8. ^ "The Politics of Aid to Iraqi Refugees in Jordan". MERIP. 20 September 2010. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  9. ^ Frelick, Bill (27 November 2006). ""The Silent Treatment": Fleeing Iraq, Surviving in Jordan". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  10. ^ "2015 UNHCR country operations profile – Jordan". UNHCR. Archived from the original on 2 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference skwf was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Jordan second top Arab destination to German tourists". Petra. Jordan News. 11 March 2016. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference washington was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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