Country Information on Jordan

Terrain Jordan has three distinct geographic zones: the fertile Jordan Valley which runs down the western side of the country; the East Bank plateau, where most of the main towns are, and the East Bank, a desert which stretches east into Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The highest mountain in the country is Jabal Ram 1,754 m. Climate Climate varies dramatically from one end of the country to the other. The Jordan Valley can be incredibly hot in summer (around 50°C), while Amman and Petra occasionally get snow in winter. The Plateau area is usually warm and dry, fluctuating between the low 20s and high 30s. Fauna/Flora The pine forests of the north give way to the cultivated slopes of the Jordan Valley, covered in cedar, olive and eucalyptus. Further south, towards the Dead Sea the landscape is dominated by mud and salt flats. The desert regions of the country support common desert fauna - camels, desert fox, sand rats, hares and jerboas - while the hills to the north-east of the Dead Sea are home to boars, badgers and goats. Jordan is particularly noted for its aquatic life, and the Gulf of Aqaba has a huge variety of tropical fish and coral. The country's biggest sanctuary is the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve in the east, where gazelle and Oryx, once common throughout Jordan, have been reintroduced. History/Politics The region of present-day Jordan roughly corresponds to the biblical lands of Ammon, Bashan, Edom and Moab. The area was conquered by the Seleucids in the 4th century BC and was part of the Nabatean empire, from the 1st century BC to the mid-1st century AD, when the Romans under Pompey captured it. In the period between the 6th and 7th century, it was the scene of fighting between the Byzantine Empire and Persia. In the early 7th century, the Muslim Arabs invaded the region, and after the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, it became part of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1516, the Ottoman Turks gained control of what is now Jordan, and it remained part of the Ottoman Empire until the 20th century. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, the region came under the government of Faisal I in Damascus. When Faisal was deposed by French troops in July 1920, Transjordan (as Jordan was then known) was made a part of the British League of Nations mandate of Palestine. In 1921, Abdullah ibn Husayn, a member of the Hashemite dynasty, was made head of Transjordan, which was administered separately from Palestine and was specifically exempted from being part of a Jewish national home. The British created a Jordanian army, called the Arab Legion. In a treaty signed with Great Britain in 1928, Transjordan became a constitutional state ruled by a king, who was placed on the throne by the British. The country supported the Allies in World War II, and, by a treaty with Great Britain signed in 1946, it became independent as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. For most of its history since independence from British administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King Hussein (1953-1999). In 1988, Hussein formally relinquished claim to the West Bank in acknowledgment of Palestinian sovereignty. He approved the creation of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank, and Arabs residing in that area lost their Jordanian citizenship. King Abdallah II assumed the throne following his father's death in February 1999. Since 19 June 2000 the Prime Minister is Ali Abul Ragheb. The 1989 elections were the first in 22 years, and in 1993 political parties were again permitted to field candidates, resulting in Jordan's first multiparty elections in 37 years. Economy The principal crops are wheat, barley, lentils, tomatoes, eggplants, citrus fruits, olives, and grapes. Many Jordanians support themselves by raising sheep, goats, and poultry. Manufactures are largely limited to foods, beverages, clothing, construction materials and other consumer goods. Phosphate rock, fertilizers, and potash are produced in significant quantities. Oil was discovered in 1982, and a small oil industry that includes petroleum refining has been developed. The country's real gross domestic product growth amounted to 2% in 1999; the official unemployment rate was 15% in the same year. Culture Architecture is the predominant visual art in the Arab world, partly because Islam forbids the depiction of living things. Throughout Jordan you will find spectacular mosques, ancient ruins from the Roman Empire and earlier, and magnificent mosaics. The Qur'an is one of the finest examples of classical Arabic writing, while the Al-Mu'allaqaat is an even older collection of Arab poetry. Bedouin artworks include silver jewellery, colourful textiles and a wide range of knives.