Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the UK received a mandate to govern much of the Middle East. Britain separated out a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from Palestine in the early 1920s, and the area gained its independence in 1946; it adopted the name of Jordan in 1950. The country's long-time ruler was King HUSSEIN (1953-99). A pragmatic leader, he successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population. Jordan lost the West Bank to Israel in the 1967 war and defeated Palestinian rebels who attempted to overthrow the monarchy in 1970. King HUSSEIN in 1988 permanently relinquished Jordanian claims to the West Bank. In 1989, he reinstituted parliamentary elections and initiated a gradual political liberalization; political parties were legalized in 1992. In 1994, he signed a peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH II, King HUSSEIN's eldest son, assumed the throne following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power and implemented some economic and political reforms. Jordan acceded to the World Trade Organization in 2000, and began to participate in the European Free Trade Association in 2001. In 2003, Jordan staunchly supported the Coalition ouster of SADDAM in Iraq and, following the outbreak of insurgent violence in Iraq, absorbed thousands of displaced Iraqis. Municipal elections were held in July 2007 under a system in which 20% of seats in all municipal councils were reserved by quota for women. Parliamentary elections were last held in November 2010 and saw independent pro-government candidates win the vast majority of seats.

Beginning in January 2011 in the wake of unrest in Tunisia and Egypt, as many as several thousand Jordanians staged weekly demonstrations and marches in Amman and other cities throughout Jordan to push for political reforms and protest government corruption, rising prices, rampant poverty, and high unemployment. In response, King ABDALLAH replaced his prime minister and formed two commissions - one to propose specific reforms to Jordan's electoral and political parties laws, and the other to consider limited constitutional amendments. In a televised speech in June 2011, the King announced plans to work toward transferring authority for appointing future prime ministers and cabinet ministers to parliament; in a subsequent announcement, he outlined a revised political parties law intended to encourage greater political participation. Protesters and opposition elements generally acknowledged those measures as steps in the right direction but many continue to push for greater limits on the King's authority and to fight against government corruption. In September 2011, a royal decree approved constitutional amendments passed by the Parliament aimed at strengthening a more independent judiciary and establishing a constitutional court and independent election commission to oversee the next municipal and parliamentary elections, slated for April 2012 and fall 2012, respectively. King ABDALLAH in October 2011 dismissed the Jordanian cabinet and replaced the prime minister in response to widespread public dissatisfaction with government performance and escalating criticism of the premier because of public concerns over his reported involvement in corruption.

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

slightly smaller than Indiana

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

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

phosphates, potash, shale oil

droughts; periodic earthquakes

limited natural freshwater resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and as the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the occupied West Bank

Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%

Arabic (official), English (widely understood among upper and middle classes)

Sunni Muslim 92% (official), Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several small Shia Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.)

6,508,887 (July 2012 est.)

26.52 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

2.74 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

-33.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

AMMAN (capital) 1.088 million (2009)

63 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

3.36 children born/woman (2012 est.)

2.45 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

1.8 beds/1,000 population (2009)

urban: 98% of population

rural: 97% of population

total: 98% of population

urban: 2% of population

rural: 3% of population

total: 2% of population

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

constitutional monarchy

12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba

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

Independence Day, 25 May (1946)

1 January 1952; amended many times

mixed legal system of civil law and Islamic religious law; judicial review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate, also called the House of Notables or Majlis al-Ayan (60 seats; members appointed by the monarch to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies, also called the House of Representatives or Majlis al-Nuwaab (120 seats; members elected using a single, non-transferable vote system in multi-member districts to serve four-year terms); note - the new electoral law enacted in May 2010 allocated an additional 10 seats (6 seats added to the number reserved for women, bringing the total to 12; 2 additional seats for Amman; and 1 seat each for the cities of Zarqa and Irbid; unchanged are 9 seats reserved for Christian candidates, 9 for Bedouin candidates, and 3 for Jordanians of Chechen or Circassian descent

Court of Cassation (Supreme Court)

Arab Ba'ath Socialist Party [Akram al-HIMSI]; Ba'ath Arab Progressive Party [Fuad DABBOUR]; Call Party [Muhammed ABU BAKR]; Democratic People's Party [Ablah ABU ULBAH]; Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'id DIAB]; Islamic Action Front or IAF [Hamzah MANSOUR]; Islamic Center Party [Marwan al-FA'URI]; Jordanian Communist Party [Munir HAMARNAH]; Jordanian National Party [Muna ABU BAKR]; Jordanian United Front [Amjad al-MAJALI]; Life Party [Zahier AMR]; Message Party [Hazem QASHOU]; National Constitution Party [Ahmad al-SHUNAQ]; National Current Party [Abd al-Hadi al-MAJALI]; National Movement for Direct Democracy [Muhammad al-QAQ]

15 April Movement [Mohammad SUNEID, chairman]; 1952 Constitution Movement; 24 March Movement [Mu'az al-KHAWALIDAH, Mu'adh al-KHAWALIDAH, Abdel Rahman HASANEIN, spokespersons]; Anti-Normalization Committee [Hamzah MANSOUR, chairman]; Economic and Social Association of Retired Servicemen and Veterans or ESARSV [Abdulsalam al-HASSANAT, chairman]; Group of 36; Higher Coordination Committee of Opposition Parties [Said DIAB]; Higher National Committee for Military Retirees or HNCMR [Ali al-HABASHNEH, chairman]; Jordan Bar Association [Saleh al-ARMUTI, chairman]; Jordanian Campaign for Change or Jayin; Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood [Dr. Hamam SAID, controller general]; Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; National Front for Reform or NFR [Ahmad OBEIDAT, chairman]; Popular Gathering for Reform; Professional Associations Council [Abd al-Hadi al-FALAHAT, chairman]; Sons of Jordan

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, CD, CICA, EBRD, FAO, G-11, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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

Jordan's economy is among the smallest in the Middle East, with insufficient supplies of water, oil, and other natural resources, underlying the government's heavy reliance on foreign assistance. Other economic challenges for the government include chronic high rates of poverty, unemployment, inflation, and a large budget deficit. Since assuming the throne in 1999, King ABDALLAH has implemented significant economic reforms, such as opening the trade regime, privatizing state-owned companies, and eliminating some fuel subsidies, which in the last decade spurred economic growth by attracting foreign investment and creating some jobs. The global economic slowdown and regional turmoil, however, have depressed Jordan's GDP growth, impacting export-oriented sectors, construction, and tourism. In 2011 the government approved two economic relief packages and a budgetary supplement, largely to improve the living conditions for the middle and poor classes. Jordan's finances have also been strained by a series of natural gas pipeline attacks in Egypt, causing Jordan to substitute more expensive heavy fuel oils to generate electricity. An influx of foreign aid, especially from Gulf countries, has helped to somewhat offset these extrabudgetary expenditures, but the budget deficit is likely to remain high, at more than 11% of GDP in 2012 excluding grants. Amman likely will continue to depend heavily on foreign assistance to finance the deficit in 2012. Jordan's financial sector has been relatively isolated from the international financial crisis because of its limited exposure to overseas capital markets. Jordan is currently exploring nuclear power generation to forestall energy shortfalls.

$38.67 billion (2012 est.)

$37.54 billion (2011 est.)

$36.59 billion (2010 est.)

$31.35 billion (2012 est.)

1.824 million (2012 est.)

28.9% of GDP (2012 est.)

20.3% of GDP (2012 est.)

-11.4% of GDP (2012 est.)

59.1% of GDP (2012 est.)

57.5% of GDP (2011 est.)

0.3% (31 December 2010 est.)

4.75% (31 December 2009 est.)

8.5% (31 December 2012 est.)

8.67% (31 December 2011 est.)

$11.15 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$10.26 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$38.61 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$34.02 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$33.27 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$30.8 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$27.18 billion (31 December 2011)

$30.86 billion (31 December 2010)

$31.86 billion (31 December 2009)

citrus, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, strawberries, stone fruits; sheep, poultry, dairy

-$3.359 billion (2012 est.)

-$2.871 billion (2011 est.)

$8.218 billion (2012 est.)

$7.963 billion (2011 est.)

clothing, fertilizers, potash, phosphates, vegetables, pharmaceuticals

US 15.4%, Iraq 15%, India 12.9%, Saudi Arabia 9.4%, Lebanon 4.4% (2011)

$17.73 billion (2012 est.)

$16.27 billion (2011 est.)

crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, iron, cereals

Saudi Arabia 22.1%, China 9.8%, US 6.4%, Italy 5.1%, Germany 4.5% (2011)

$10.7 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$12.11 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$8.345 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$7.644 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$24.63 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$22.91 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Jordanian dinars (JOD) per US dollar -

13.42 billion kWh (2009 est.)

11.64 billion kWh (2009 est.)

139 million kWh (2009 est.)

383 million kWh (2009 est.)

2.616 million kW (2009 est.)

99.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0.5% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0.2% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

20 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

70,700 bbl/day (2009 est.)

1 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

79,190 bbl/day (2008 est.)

107,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

18,620 bbl/day (2008 est.)

220 million cu m (2010 est.)

2.74 billion cu m (2010 est.)

2.52 billion cu m (2010 est.)

6.031 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

19.07 million Mt (2010 est.)

7.483 million (2011)

radio and TV dominated by the government-owned Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTV) that operates a main network, a sports network, a film network, and a satellite channel; first independent TV broadcaster aired in 2007; international satellite TV and Israeli and Syrian TV broadcasts are available; roughly 30 radio stations with JRTV operating the main government-owned station; transmissions of multiple international radio broadcasters are available (2007)

1.642 million (2009)

gas 439 km; oil 49 km (2010)

Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Land Force (RJLF), Royal Jordanian Navy, Royal Jordanian Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Malakiya al-Urduniya, RJAF), Special Operations Command (Socom); Public Security Directorate (normally falls under Ministry of Interior, but comes under JAF in wartime or crisis) (2011)

17 years of age for voluntary military service; initial service term 2 years, with option to reenlist for 18 years; conscription for males at age 18 was suspended in 1999, but reinstated in July 2007 in order to provide youth training necessary for job market needs; all males under age 37 are required to register; women not subject to conscription, but can volunteer to serve in noncombat military positions in the Royal Jordanian Arab Army Women's Corps and RJAF (2012)

2004 Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pending demarcation