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An Introduction to Jordan
For most of its history since independence from British administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN (1953-99). A pragmatic ruler, he successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, despite several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he reinstituted parliamentary elections and gradually political liberalization; in 1994 he signed a formal peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH II - the eldest son of King HUSSEIN and Princess MUNA - assumed the throne following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power and undertaken an aggressive economic reform program. Jordan acceded to the World Trade Organization in 2000, and began to participate in the European Free Trade Association in 2001. After a two-year delay, parliamentary and municipal elections took place in the summer of 2003. The prime minister and government appointed in October 2003 declared their commitment to accelerated economic and political reforms and the new cabinet includes an unprecedented three women as ministers.
Map of Jordan ( Location ) : 31 00 N, 36 00 E, Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia .
For additional reports and educational information specific to Jordan, refer to the Country Info menubar to the upper right.
The Jordanian Flag
Three equal horizontal bands of black (top), representing the Abbassid Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and green, representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles triangle on the hoist side, representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven points on the star represent faith in One God, humanity, national spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations; design is based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I.
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Rankings of The Most Populous Countries in the World.
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Some interesting facts and figures about Jordan.
Pop Growth Rate / Year:
• 2.67%
Avg. Life Expectancy:
• 75.59 yrs - Male
• 80.69 yrs - Female
Phone Lines:
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622,600 (2003)
Televisions:
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500,000 (1997)
Radios:
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1,660,000 (1997)
Internet Code:
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.jo
Did you know ... People from Jordan are called Jordanians
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