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Connecting Voices
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Overview of Jordan
The country was created upon the post World War II partition of the Middle East by England and France and has since been ruled by Arabian monarchy. Jordan was once largely comprised of Bedouin tribesmen who were once followers of King Hussein’s grandfather Abdullah originally from Arabia. Modern day Jordan was first ruled by his son King Hussein who successfully navigated competing powers of the West and Middle East until his death in 1999. The eldest son of King Hussein and Princess Muna, King Abdullah II, assumed the throne following his father’s death in February 1999 and has undertaken an aggressive economic reform program acceding Jordan to the World Trade Organization in 2000. In 2003 parliamentary and municipal elections were carried out. Elected and appointed government officials have promised to build upon the previous achievements to respect political and human rights and improve Jordan’s standard of living. Unlike many countries in this region, Jordan has none of its own oil and possesses limited natural resources limited to phosphates and agricultural produce. Jordan’s economy depends largely on services, tourism and foreign aid, where the US is the main provider. Jordan has one of the most efficient health systems in the region on which it prides itself. Geography and Environment: Jordan borders Iraq, Israel, Syria, Saudi Arabia and the West Bank and covers land area slightly smaller than that of Indiana. Jordan is mostly desert plateau in the east, highland area in the west with the Great Rift Valley separating the east and west banks of the Jordan River. Jordan experiences droughts at times along with periodic earthquakes. There are limited natural fresh water resources in the country which experiences hazards such as deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion and desertification. People: Jordan has a population of 5,759,732 which is growing
at 2.56%. Ethnicity in the country is 98% Arab, 1% Circassian, and 1% Armenian.
The life expectancy in Jordan is 73 years of age for women and 70 years for
men. Links: New York Times World Almanac: Jordan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
is a small country at the crossroads of what most Christians, Jews and Muslims
call the Holy Land, and is one of only two Arab countries to have made peace
with Israel as it has played a pivotal role in the struggle for power in the
Middle East.