Jordan

Jordan (Arabic: الأردنّ‎ al-'Urdunn), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba. It shares borders with Syria to the north, Iraq to the north-east, the West Bank and Israel to the west, and Saudi Arabia to the east and south. It shares control of the Dead Sea with Israel, and the coastline of the Gulf of Aqaba with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Much of Jordan is covered by desert, particularly the Arabian Desert; however the north-western area, with the Jordan River, is regarded as part of the Fertile Crescent. The capital city of Amman is in the north-west.
During its history, Jordan has seen numerous civilizations, including such ancient eastern civilizations as the Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian empires. Jordan was for a time part of Pharaonic Egypt, and spawned the native Nabatean civilization which left rich archaeological remains at Petra. Cultures from the west also left their mark, such as the Macedonian, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Turkish empires. Since the seventh century the area has been under Muslim and Arab cultures, with the exception of a brief period when the west of the area formed part of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and a short time under British rule.
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a constitutional monarchy with representative government. The reigning monarch is the head of state, the chief executive and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The king exercises his executive authority through the prime ministers and the Council of Ministers, or cabinet. The cabinet, meanwhile, is responsible before the democratically elected House of Deputies which, along with the House of Notables (Senate), constitutes the legislative branch of the government. The judicial branch is an independent branch of the government.
Jordan is a modern Arab nation. Jordan's population is predominately Muslim with a sizable Christian minority. Jordanian society is mostly urbanized and very ethnically diverse. Jordan is also an industrialized nation. It was classified as an emerging market by the CIA factbook. Jordan has close relations with the West and is a key player in the global political scene.

Capital(and largest city)
Amman31°57′N 35°56′E / 31.95°N 35.933°E / 31.95; 35.933
Official languages
Arabic
Ethnic groups
98% Arab [1]and 2% others ( Race = mostly Caucasian).
Demonym
Jordanian
Government
Constitutional monarchy
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King
Abdullah II
-
Prime Minister
Nader al-Dahabi
Independence
-
End of British League of Nations mandate
25 May 1946
Area
-
Total
89,341 km2 (112th)45,495 sq mi
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Water (%)
0.8
Population
-
July 2008 estimate
6,198,677 (102nd)
-
July 2004 census
5,611,202
-
Density
64/km2 (131st)166/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
2008 estimate
-
Total
$31.112 billion[2]
-
Per capita
$5,400[2]
GDP (nominal)
2008 estimate
-
Total
$20.030 billion[2]
-
Per capita
$3,421[2]
Gini (2002–03)
38.8 (medium)
HDI (2007)
▲ 0.773 (medium) (86th)
Currency
Jordanian dinar (JOD)
Time zone
UTC+2 (UTC+2)
-
Summer (DST)
UTC+3 (UTC+3)
Drives on the
right
Internet TLD
.jo
Calling code
962

1 History
1.1 Ancient Jordan
1.2 Modern Jordan
2 Geography
3 Climate
4 Administrative divisions
5 Demographics
6 Politics
6.1 Constitution
6.2 Legal system and legislation
6.3 Kings of Jordan and political events
7 Religion
8 Parliament of Jordan
9 Immigration
10 Term
11 Political parties
12 Economy
12.1 Tourism
12.2 Natural reserves
12.3 Influence of the Southwest Asian conflict
12.3.1 Opportunity Cost of Conflict
12.3.2 Drain on the GDP
13 Foreign relations
14 Culture
15 Health
16 Language
17 Quality of Life
18 Education
18.1 School education
18.1.1 Foreign secondary education programs
18.2 Higher education
19 See also
20 References
21 Further reading
22 External links