JORDAN

By Alaina

Introduction

Jordan ‘s official name is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan . The capital of Jordan is Amman . The official language of Jordan is Arabic but, English is comely used. Jordan is located in the Middle East and in Western Asia.

Geography

There are several major landforms in Jordan. These are some of them the Dead Sea ,Jordan Valley and the Jordan river . The Dead Sea is the saltiest river in the World and it has the lowest depression . There are several major landmarks in Jordan including Petra, Jerash, and Bethany Beyond the Jordan. Bethany Beyond the Jordan is said to be where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. It is a very important place for Christians.

History

From 2000-1550 BC seven kingdoms controlled the area that is now Jordan.

A man named Pompey took over the region for Rome in 63 BC.

In 636 AD Khalid Ibnal-Walid brings the area that is now Jordan under Muslim rule.

Then in 1550 AD, Ottoman-Turkish take over the region. The British took over the area in 1923 and name it Trans

Jordan. In 1946 Jordan was granted full independence from Britain.

Abdullah the 1st was named the King. The country’s name changed to Jordan in 1950. From 1951-1999 Hussein was the King of Jordan. The country was at war with Israel from 1967-1994. Finally in 1999 Abdullah Binal Hussein becomes King and he

still rules today.

Culture

Holidays- Most Jordanians follow the Islamic calendar. These are some of the major Holidays: Id el-fiter (end of Ramadan), Id al-Adha (Islamic New Year), Mohamed’ Birthday, and Lilat al Meiraj. Some other holidays are Arbor day (Jan. 15th), Arab League Day (March 22nd), and Independence Day (May 25th)

Food- Most meals in Jordan have rice, olives, yogurt, flat bread, vegetables, lamb or chicken, and fruit. The main meal is eaten in the middle of the afternoon. The national dish is Mansaf. It is served on holidays and special family occasions. It is lamb cooked in dry yogurt and served with rice and flat bread.

Culture (continued)

Clothes- Many women are Muslim, so most women dress modestly. Women cover their head and shoulders. A popular male outfit is a tunic, which is pants, a fancy over garment with a belt or sash. Men cover their heads with a scarf, turban or tarbush.

Music- Jordan has a very strong Bedouin influence. Sameer Baghdadi and Omar Al-Aballat are popular singers. Rum is the name of a successful musical group. The most important group of musicians is the Faqir family. They have existed for over a 100 years. Religions- the main religion in Jordan is Islam. There is

about 92% of Muslims and about 6% of christian in Jordan .

Interesting facts

Population-The population in Jordan is about 7,327,643 . In the capital Amman the population is about 1,275.The population of males is about 3,435,345 and population of females is about 3,246,188.

Flag- The Jordanian flag was adopted on April16,1908 . The black on the flag represents Abbasid Caliphate . The white on the flag represents Umayyad Caliphate. The green represents Fatimid Caliphate. The red triangle represents the great Arab revolt against the Ottomans in world war 1. The 7 pointed star represents Qur’an.

Interesting facts (continued)

Native Animals – These are some main dessert small animals insects, lizards, and other small mammals . Lager animals include foxes , jackals , spited hyenas ,wolfs , camels , rabbit and sand rat . The white oryx and ibex are relatively rare.

Travel tips-There are many places to go in Jordan . You can stroll though Petra’s siq (market) , you can go to the ancient city Jerash and in Jerash and see the Amphitheatre ( a really old theater), the Dead Sea (the saltiest lake in the world) , the Jordan River (a very important place to Christians because it is said that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River) and Dana (a nature reserve).

Conclusion

I would like to go to Jordan, because there are so many cool things to do. Some of the things yare these: seeing ruins, hiking, going in the Dead Sea, and seeing the Jordan river.

Bibliography

For my report I used the following books, encyclopedia and websites.

Visit Jordan.com Country Meters.com