Jordan

Radio broadcast stations

AM 5, FM 7, shortwave 0

Radios

1.1 million (1992 est.)

Telephone system

adequate telephone system domestic : microwave radio relay, cable, and radiotelephone links international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria; microwave radio relay to Lebanon is inactive; participant in Medarabtel

Telephones

81,500 (1987 est.)

Television broadcast stations

8 and 1 TV receive-only satellite link

Televisions

350,000 (1992 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues : $2.7 billion expenditures: $2.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $630 million (1997 est.)

Currency

1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils

Debt - external

$7.3 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $238 million (1993)

Economy - overview

Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil and coal. Jordan benefited from increased Arab aid during the oil boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when its annual real GNP growth averaged more than 10%. In the remainder of the 1980s, however, reductions in both Arab aid and worker remittances slowed real economic growth to an average of roughly 2% per year. Imports - mainly oil, capital goods, consumer durables, and food - outstripped exports, with the difference covered by aid, remittances, and borrowing. In mid-1989, the Jordanian Government began debt-rescheduling negotiations and agreed to implement an IMF-supported program designed to gradually reduce the budget deficit and implement badly needed structural reforms. The Persian Gulf crisis that began in August 1990, however, aggravated Jordan's already serious economic problems, forcing the government to shelve the IMF program, stop most debt payments, and suspend rescheduling negotiations. Aid from Gulf Arab states, worker remittances, and trade contracted; and 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, but the recovery was uneven in 1994-96. The government is implementing the reform program adopted in 1992 and continues to secure rescheduling and write-offs of its heavy foreign debt. Debt, poverty, and unemployment remain Jordan's biggest on-going problems.

Electricity - capacity

1.07 million kW (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita

1,173 kWh (1995 est.)

Electricity - production

4.76 billion kWh (1994)

Exchange rates

Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 - 0.7090 (January 1997), 0.7090 (1996), 0.7005 (1995), 0.6987 (1994), 0.6928 (1993), 0.6797 (1992) note: since May 1989, the dinar has been pegged to a basket of currencies

Exports

total value : $1.9 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: phosphates, fertilizers, potash, agricultural products, manufactures partners: India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, EU, Indonesia, UAE

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $20.9 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 6% industry: 28% services : 66% (1995 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $5,000 (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5.9% (1996 est.)

Imports

total value: $4.1 billion (c.i.f., 1996) commodities : crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, food, live animals, manufactured goods partners: EU, US, Iraq, Japan, Turkey

Industrial production growth rate

3.9% (1995)

Industries

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

Inflation rate - consumer price index

4.5% (1996 est.)

Labor force

total : 600,000 (1992) by occupation: industry 11.4%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 10.5%, construction 10.0%, transport and communications 8.7%, agriculture 7.4%, other services 52.0% (1992)

Unemployment rate

16% (1994 est.)

Area

total: 89,213 sq km land: 88,884 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 1,754 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

NA

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

8 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Ma'an

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

Data code

JO

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Wesley W. EGAN, Jr. embassy: Jabel Amman, Amman mailing address : P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; APO AE 09892-0200 telephone: [962] (6) 820101

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Fayez A. TARAWNEH chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone : [1] (202) 966-2664

Executive branch

chief of state: King HUSSEIN bin Talal Al-Hashimi (since 2 May 1953) head of government : Prime Minister Abd al-Salam al-MAJALI (since 19 March 1997) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the king elections: none; the king is a constitutional monarch; prime minister appointed by the king

FAX

[1] (202) 966-3110

FAX

[962] (6) 820159

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), white, and green with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a small white seven-pointed star; the seven points on the star represent the seven fundamental laws of the Koran

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, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFCTU, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, PCA, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNRWA, UNTAES, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Judicial branch

Court of Cassation

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 House of Notables or Majlis al-A'ayan (a 40-member body appointed by the king 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 8 November 1993 (next to be held NA November 1997 election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - IAF 16, Jordanian National Alliance Party 4, Al-Yaqazah Party 2, Al-Watan Party 2, Al-'Ahd Party 2, Jordanian Arab Democratic Party 2, Al-Mustaqbal Party 1, Jordanian Arab Socialist Ba'th Party 1, Jordanian Democratic Progressive Party 1, Jordanian People's Democratic Party-Hashd 1, Jordanian Socialist Democratic Party 1, independents 47 note : the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved by the king several times since 1974; in November 1989 the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held

National capital

Amman

National holiday

Independence Day, 25 May (1946)

Political parties and leaders

Al-Ahrar (Liberals) Party, Ahmad al-ZU'BI, secretary general; Al-Taqaddumi (Progressive) Party, Fawwaz al-ZUBI, secretary general; Constitutional Jordanian Arab Front Party, Milhim al-TALL, leader; Democratic Arab Islamic Movement Party-Du'a', Yusuf ABU BAKR, secretary general; Islamic Action Front (IAF), Ishaq al-FARHAN, secretary general; Jordanian Arab Socialist Ba'th Party, Taysir al-HIMSI, command first secretary; Jordanian Communist Party (JCP), Ya'qub ZAYADIN, secretary general; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party, 'Azmi al-KHAWAJA, secretary general; Jordanian People's Democratic Party-Hashd, Salim al-NAHHAS, secretary general; Jordanian Unionist Democratic Party, 'Isa MADANAT (secretary general), Ali AMIR (secretary general), Munis al-RAZZAZ (secretary general); Pan-Arab Action Front Party, Muhammad al-ZU'BI, secretary general; Progressive Arab Ba'th Party, Mahmud al-MA'AYITAH, command secretary; Al-Mustaqbal (Future) Party, Sulayman 'ARAR, secretary general; Jordanian Arab Partisans Party, Muhammad al-MAJALI, leader, Muhammad al-SHURAYDAH, secretary general; Jordanian Peace Party, leader NA; Ansar Party, leader NA; Ummah Party, leader NA; Arab Land Party, leader NA note: in 1995, the Jordanian Arab Democratic Party, the Jordanian Democratic Progressive Party, and the Jordanian Socialist Democratic Party merged to form the Jordanian Unionist Democratic Party, Isa MADANAT, Ali AMIR, Munis al-RAZZAZ, secretaries general; in May 1997 the following parties - Al-'Ahd (Pledge) Party, 'Abd al-Hadi al-MAJALI, secretary general; Al-Watan (Homeland) Party, 'Akif al-FAYIZ, leader; Al-Yaqazah (Awakening) Party, 'Abd al-Ra'uf al-RAWABIDAH, secretary general; Democratic Arab Unionist Party-Wa'd, Anis al-MU'ASHIR, secretary general; Jordanian Arab Masses Party, 'Abd al-Khaliq SHATAT, secretary general; Jordanian National Alliance Party, Mijhim al-KHURAYSHAH, secretary general; Popular Unity Party-the Unionists, Mustafa AL-'ISAWI, secretary general; and the Progress and Justice Party, 'Ali al-SA'D, secretary general - merged to form the National Constitutional Party, 'Abd al Hadi AL-MAJALI, secretary general

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal

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

$589 million (1996)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

8.2% (1996)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 1,043,324 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males: 743,712 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 46,760 (1997 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 44% (male 968,833; female 921,158) 15-64 years: 53% (male 1,188,248; female 1,125,527) 65 years and over : 3% (male 60,876; female 59,996) (July 1997 est.)

Birth rate

35.95 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate

3.88 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Ethnic groups

Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%

Infant mortality rate

30.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 72.69 years male: 70.81 years female: 74.68 years (1997 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

-6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Population

4,324,638 (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate

2.6% (1997 est.)

Religions

Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 8%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.94 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Disputes - international

none JUAN DE NOVA ISLAND (possession of France)

Airports

14 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 14 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Highways

total: 6,750 km paved: 6,750 km unpaved: 0 km (1995 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 3 bulk ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 41,651 GRT/67,515 DWT (1996 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 209 km

Ports and harbors

Al 'Aqabah

Railways

total : 676 km narrow gauge: 676 km 1.050-m gauge; note - an additional 110 km stretch of the old Hejaz railroad is out of use