JORDAN

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JORDAN

Jordan’s Fact File

Location: Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia, between Israel (to the west) and Iraq

Area: total: 89,342 sq km country comparison to the world: 111 land: 88,802 sq km water: 540 sq km

Land boundaries: total: 1,635 km border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km,

Saudi Arabia 744 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km

Coastline: 26 km

Climate: mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)

Terrain: mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River

Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil

Land use: arable land: 3.32% permanent crops: 1.18% other: 95.5% (2005)

Population: 6,508,271 (July 2011 est.)

Ethnic groups: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%

Religions: Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox,

Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denomi-nations), other 2% (several small Shia Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.)

Languages: Arabic (offi cial), English (widely understood among upper and middle classes)

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)

National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May (1946)

GDP (purchasing power parity): 23.74 billion (2010 est.)

Industries: clothing, fertilisers, potash, phosphate mining, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refi ning, cement, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing, tourism

Exports: 5.15 billion (2010 est.)Export commodities: clothing, fertilizers, potash, phosphates,

vegetables, pharmaceuticalsExport partners: US 17.13%, Iraq 17%, India 13.59%, Saudi

Arabia 10.56%, Syria 4.18%, UAE 4.09% (2009)

Imports: 9.11 billion (2010 est.)Import commodities: crude oil, machinery, transport equipment,

iron, cerealsImport partners: Saudi Arabia 17.3%, China 10.95%, US 6.94%,

Germany 6.29%, Egypt 6.1% (2009)

Energy

•Developing Local Energy Resources to Power Tomorrow’s Development

“One of the most promising new ventures for the energy sector and Jordan is the development of oil

shale into usable energy.”Khaled Irani, former Minister

IT & Telecom

“Jordan is well on its way to becoming an ICT hub in the

region, having created a climate for success for local companies and

foreign investors.” Marwan Juma, former Minister of Information and

Communications Technology

Health

“Jordan’s reputation as a centre for high quality healthcare in the

Middle East and its well developed environment make it a solid

choice for international healthcare organisations looking to increase

their presence in the region.”H. E. Dr Yasin Husban, Minister of Health

Tourism