Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan | |
|---|---|
| Motto: الله، الوطن، الملك Allāh, al-Waṭan, al-Malik "God, Country, King"[1] | |
| Anthem: السلام الملكي الأردني Al-Salām al-Malakī al-Urdunī "The Royal Anthem of Jordan" | |
.svg) | |
| Capital and largest city | Amman 31°57′N 35°56′E / 31.950°N 35.933°E |
| Official languages | Arabic[2] |
| Ethnic groups |
|
| Religion |
|
| Demonym(s) | Jordanian |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Monarch | Abdullah II |
| Jafar Hassan | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Senate | |
| House of Representatives | |
| Independence from the United Kingdom | |
• 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 |  $132.092 billion[5] (91st) |
• Per capita | $12,809[5] (112th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $50.022 billion[5] (93rd) |
• Per capita | $4,850[5] (114th) |
| Gini (2011) | 35.4[6] medium inequality |
| HDI (2022) |  0.736[7]high (99th) |
| Currency | Jordanian dinar (JOD) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 |
| Drives on | right |
| Calling code | +962 |
| ISO 3166 code | JO |
| Internet TLD | .jo .الاردن |
Jordan,[a] officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,[b] is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories to the west. The Jordan River, flowing into the Dead Sea, is located along the country's western border. Jordan has a small coastline along the Red Sea in its southwest, separated by the Gulf of Aqaba from Egypt. Amman is the country'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 developed in Transjordan during the Iron Age: Ammon, Moab and Edom, which were conquered by the Assyrian and later Babylonian empires. In the third century BC, the Arab Nabataeans established their kingdom centered in Petra. The Greco-Roman period saw the establishment of several cities in Transjordan that comprised the Decapolis. Later, the Islamic era began after end of Byzantine rule that set off Islamic empires of the Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid, and the Ottoman. Following the 1916 Great Arab Revolt during World War I, former Ottoman Syria was partitioned, leading to the establishment of the Emirate of Transjordan in 1921, which became a British protectorate. In 1946, the country 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 the rest being mostly Arab Christian. 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 refugees, most of whom hold Jordanian citizenship, as well as 1.4 million Syrian refugees, were residing in Jordan as of 2015.[4] The kingdom is also a refuge for thousands of Christian Iraqis fleeing persecution.[8][9] While Jordan continues to accept refugees, the large Syrian influx during the 2010s has 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 Cooperation. The country has a high Human Development Index, ranking 99th, 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 with its well-developed health sector.[12] Nonetheless, a lack of natural resources, large flow of refugees, and regional turmoil have hampered economic growth.[13]
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Jordanian Constitution". Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Constitutional Court. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ "Population clock". Jordan Department of Statistics. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Jordan)". International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ "Gini index". World Bank. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
- ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "2015 UNHCR country operations profile – Jordan". UNHCR. Archived from the original on 2 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
skwfwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "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.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
washingtonwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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