JORDAN
(see separate West Bank entry)
Note: The war between Israel and the Arab states in June 1967 ended
with Israel in control of the West Bank. As stated in the 1978 Camp David
Accords and reaffirmed by President Reagan's 1 September 1982 peace
initiative, the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, their
relationship with their neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and
Jordan are to be negotiated among the concerned parties. The Camp David
Accords further specify that these negotiations will resolve the location
of the respective boundaries. Pending the completion of this process, it
is US policy that the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has
yet to be determined.
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 91,880 km2; land area: 91,540 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries: 1,586 km total; Iraq 134 km, Israel 238 km,
Saudi Arabia 742 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
Coastline: 26 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Disputes: differences with Israel over the location of the
1949 Armistice Line which separates the two countries
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 4%; permanent crops 0.5%; meadows and
pastures 1%; forest and woodland 0.5%; other 94%; includes irrigated 0.5%
Environment: lack of natural water resources; deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
PEOPLE
Population: 3,412,553 (July 1991), growth rate 4.2% (1991)
Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: 1 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 38 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 73 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 7.1 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Jordanian(s); adjective--Jordanian
Ethnic divisions: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
Religion: Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 8%
Language: Arabic (official); English widely understood among
upper and middle classes
Literacy: 80% (male 89%, female 70%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force: 572,000 (1988); agriculture 20%, manufacturing and
mining 20% (1987 est.)
Organized labor: about 10% of labor force
Note: 1.5-1.7 million Palestinians live on the East Bank (55-60%
of the population), most are Jordanian citizens
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Amman
Administrative divisions: 8 governorates (muhafazat,
singular--muhafazah); Al Balqa, Al Karak, Al Mafraq,
Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa, Irbid, Maan
Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under
British administration; formerly Trans-Jordan)
Constitution: 8 January 1952
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
National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May (1946)
Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly (Majlis al-Umma)
consists of an upper house or House of Notables (Majlis al-Aayan) and a
lower house or House of Deputies (Majlis al-Nuwaab); note--the
House of Deputies was dissolved by King Hussein on 30 July 1988 as
part of Jordanian disengagement from the West Bank and in November 1989
the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held, with no seats
going to Palestinians on the West Bank
Judicial branch: Court of Cassation
Leaders:
Chief of State--King HUSSEIN Ibn Talal I (since 11 August 1952);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Tahir al-MASRI (since 17 June
1991)
Political parties and leaders: none; after the 1989 parliamentary
elections, King Hussein promised to allow the formation of political
parties; a national charter that sets forth the ground rules for
democracy in Jordan--including the creation of political parties--has
been completed but not yet approved
Suffrage: universal at age 20
Elections:
House of Representatives--last held 8 November 1989 (next to be
held November 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(80 total) Muslim Brotherhood 22, Independent Islamic bloc
10, Democratic bloc (mostly leftist) 15, Liberal bloc (traditionalist)
7, Nationalist bloc (traditionalist) 14, independent 12
Communists: party actively repressed, membership less than 500
(est.)
Member of: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN,
UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Hussein A. HAMMAMI;
Chancery at 3504 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 966-2664;
US--Ambassador Roger Gram HARRISON; Embassy on Jebel Amman, Amman
(mailing address is P. O. Box 354, Amman, or APO New York 09892);
telephone 962 (6) 644-371
Flag: 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
ECONOMY
Overview: Jordan was a secondary beneficiary of the oil boom of
the late 1970s and early 1980s, when its annual GNP growth averaged
10-12%. Recent years, however, have witnessed a sharp reduction in grant
aid from Arab oil-producing countries and a dropoff in worker
remittances, with national growth averaging 1-2%. Imports--mainly oil,
capital goods, consumer durables, and foodstuffs--have been outstripping
exports by roughly $2 billion annually, the difference being made up by
aid, remittances, and borrowing. In mid-1989, the Jordanian Government
agreed to implement an IMF austerity program designed to tackle the
country's serious economic problems. The program sought to gradually
reduce the government's budget deficit over the next several years and
implement badly needed structural reforms in the economy. In return for
agreeing to the IMF program, Jordan was granted IMF standby loans of over
$100 million. Recognizing that it would be unable to cover its debt
obligations, the government also began debt rescheduling negotiations
with creditors in mid-1989. The onset of the Gulf crisis in August 1990
forced the government to shelve the IMF program and suspend most debt
payments and rescheduling negotiations. Economic prospects for 1991
are especially gloomy, given the unsettled conditions in the Middle
East.
GNP: $4.6 billion, per capita $1,400; real growth rate - 15%
(1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate: 30% (January 1991 est.)
Budget: revenues $1.05 billion; expenditures $1.6 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.)
Exports: $0.9 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities--fruits and vegetables, phosphates, fertilizers;
partners--Iraq, Saudi Arabia, India, Kuwait, Japan, China,
Yugoslavia, Indonesia
Imports: $2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
commodities--crude oil, textiles, capital goods, motor vehicles,
foodstuffs;
partners--EC, US, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Turkey, Romania, China,
Taiwan
External debt: $8 billion (December 1990 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 15% (1990 est.); accounts
for 20% of GDP
Electricity: 981,000 kW capacity; 3,500 million kWh produced,
1,180 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash,
light manufacturing
Agriculture: accounts for only 5% of GDP; principal products are
wheat, barley, citrus fruit, tomatoes, melons, olives; livestock--sheep,
goats, poultry; large net importer of food
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.7
billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $1.3 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.5 billion;
Communist countries (1970-89), $44 million
Currency: Jordanian dinar (plural--dinars);
1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1--0.6670 (January
1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3709 (1988), 0.3387 (1987), 0.3499
(1986), 0.3940 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: 619 km 1.050-meter gauge, single track
Highways: 7,500 km; 5,500 km asphalt, 2,000 km gravel and crushed
stone
Pipelines: crude oil, 209 km
Ports: Al Aqabah
Merchant marine: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 22,870
GRT/38,187 DWT; includes 1 bulk, 1 cargo
Civil air: 19 major transport aircraft
Airports: 19 total, 16 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways;
1 with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: adequate system of radio relay, cable, and
radio; 81,500 telephones; stations--4 AM, 3 FM, 24 TV; satellite earth
stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT,
1 domestic TV receive-only; coaxial cable and radio relay to Iraq, Saudi
Arabia, and Syria; radio relay to Lebanon is inactive; a microwave
network linking Syria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Jordan
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Jordan Arab Army, Royal Jordanian Air Force,
Royal Jordanian Coast Guard, Public Security Force
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 778,353; 555,144 fit for
military service; 39,879 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: $377 million, 12.4% of GNP (1990)