Area
89,342 square kilometres (34,495 square miles, not including West
Bank)
Population
5,329,000 people (the official estimate for 2002).
The West Bank is now managed by the Palestinian National Authority.
Population Density
59.6 people per square kilometre
Capital
Amman.
Population of Amman
2,027,685 people (the 2002 official estimate).
Geography
Some key geographical facts:
Jordan shares borders with Israel, the Syrian Arab Republic, Saudi
Arabia and Iraq.
The
Red Sea to the southwest and the Dead Sea is to the northwest.
A high plateau extends 324 kilometres (201 miles) from the Syrian
Arab Republic to Ras en Naqab in the south with the capital of Amman
at a height of 800 metres (2625 feet).
Northwest of the capital are surging hills, some forested, others
cultivated.
The Dead Sea depression, 400 metres (1,300 feet) below sea level
in the west, is the lowest point on earth.
The River Jordan joins the Dead Sea with Lake Tiberias (Israel).
To the west of Jordan is the Palestinian National Authority Region.
The east of the country is primarily desert.
Jordan has a minuscule stretch of Red Sea coast, centred on Aqaba.
Government
Jordan had been part of a Constitutional Monarchy
since 1952.
The Head of State has been King Abdullah Ibn al-Hussein
al-Hashimi since 1999.
The Head of Government has been Prime Minister
Faisal al-Fayez since 2003.
Language
Arabic is the official language, however English
is widely spoken, particularly in cities. German, French, Italian
and Spanish are also spoken.
Religion
The religion is over 90 % Sunni Muslim, with Christian and Shi’i
Muslim minorities.
Time
Zone
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) + 2 (GMT + 3 from April to September)
Electricity
230 volts AC,/ 50Hz. Lamp sockets are screw type, and there is a
wide range of wall sockets. |
