Jordan, officially Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, kingdom (2005 est. pop. 5,760,000), 35,637 sq mi (92,300 sq km), SW Asia. It borders on Israel and the West Bank in the west, on Syria in the north, on Iraq in the northeast, and on Saudi Arabia in the east and south. Amman is the country's capital and largest city. In addition to the capital, important cities include Zarqa, Petra, Irbid, Aqaba, and Salt.

Land and People

Jordan falls into two main geographical regions. Eastern Jordan, which encompasses about 92% of the country's land area, is made up of a section (average elevation: 2,500 ft/760 m) of the Arabian Plateau that in the northeast includes part of the Syrian Desert. In the western part of the plateau are the Jordanian Highlands, which include Jabal Ramm (5,755 ft/1,754 m), Jordan's loftiest point. Extreme western Jordan is made up of a segment of the Great Rift Valley (which continues southward into Africa) and includes the Jordan River, the Dead Sea, and the Arabah (a dry riverbed).
The inhabitants of Jordan are mostly of Arab descent. The Palestinians (about 50% of the population) are also descended from the people who lived in Palestine before the Arab conquest (7th cent.), whereas the inhabitants of E Jordan (many of whom belong to Bedouin tribes) are of predominantly Arab ancestry. There are small minorities of Armenians and Circassians. Arabic, the official language, is spoken by virtually everyone. Many in the higher socio-economic groups also speak English. Over 95% of the people are Sunni Muslims; about 5% are Christians, most of whom are Greek Orthodox.

Economy

In the late 1990s, Jordan had an unemployment rate of almost 25%, while nearly 50% of those who were employed were on the government payroll. Poverty and a large foreign debt remained major problems. Less than 5% of the country's land is arable, and farm output is further limited by the small size of most farms, inefficient methods of tilling the soil, and inadequate irrigation. The principal crops are wheat, barley, lentils, tomatoes, eggplants, citrus fruits, olives, and grapes. Many Jordanians support themselves by raising sheep, goats, and poultry.
Manufactures are largely limited to basic items such as foods, beverages, clothing, construction materials (especially cement), and other consumer goods. Nearly 50% of the country's industry is based in Amman. Numerous artisans make items of leather, wood, and metal. Phosphate rock, fertilizers, and potash are produced in significant quantities. Oil was discovered in 1982, and a small oil industry that includes petroleum refining has been developed. During the 1970s and 80s aid from other Arab countries and remittances from Jordanian workers living abroad were important factors in the country's economy. A slowdown in both sources of income in the 1990s, as well as an influx of refugees, has slowed economic progress.
Jordan's transportation system is limited to a small network of all-weather roads and a narrow-gauge railroad (formerly part of the Hejaz RR) that enters Jordan from Syria and runs through Amman and to Aqaba, the country's only seaport. A modern highway running from Aqaba to Iraq has made trade and transportation more efficient.
The annual cost of Jordan's imports usually far exceeds its earnings from exports. The principal imports are crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, and manufactured goods; the main exports are phosphates, potash, fertilizers, and agricultural products. Jordan's leading trade partners are the European Union nations, Iraq, India, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Japan.

Government

Jordan is a constitutional monarchy. Under the 1952 constitution as amended, the most powerful political and military figure in the country is the king. He appoints a cabinet (headed by a prime minister who exercises executive power in his name), which is responsible to the bicameral parliament consisting of a 40-member senate (appointed by the king) and an 110-member house of representatives (popularly elected to four-year terms). The 1989 elections were the first in 22 years, and in 1993 political parties were again permitted to field candidates, resulting in Jordan's first multiparty elections in 37 years. Jordan is divided into 12 administrative governorates (muhafazah).

History

The history section of this article is primarily concerned with the region E of the Jordan River; for the history of the area to the west, see Palestine.
Early History to Independence
The region of present-day Jordan roughly corresponds to the biblical lands of Ammon, Bashan, Edom, and Moab. The area was conquered by the Seleucids in the 4th cent. B.C. and was part of the Nabatean empire, whose capital was Petra, from the 1st cent. B.C. to the mid-1st cent. A.D., when it was captured by the Romans under Pompey. In the period between the 6th and 7th cent. it was the scene of considerable fighting between the Byzantine Empire and Persia. In the early 7th cent. the region was invaded by the Muslim Arabs, and after the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, it became part of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1516 the Ottoman Turks gained control of what is now Jordan, and it remained part of the Ottoman Empire until the 20th cent.
After the fall of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, the region came under (1919) the government of Faisal I, centered at Damascus. When Faisal was ejected by French troops in July, 1920, Transjordan (as Jordan was then known) was made (1920) part of the British League of Nations mandate of Palestine. In 1921, Abdullah I (Abdullah ibn Husayn), a member of the Hashemite dynasty and the brother of Faisal, was made emir of Transjordan, which was administered separately from Palestine and was specifically exempted from being part of a Jewish national home. A Jordanian army, called the Arab Legion, was created by the British, largely through the work of Sir John Bagot Glubb.
In a treaty signed with Great Britain in 1928, Transjordan became a constitutional state ruled by a king, to be hereditary in the family of Abdullah I, who was placed on the throne by the British. The country supported the Allies in World War II, and, by a treaty with Great Britain signed in 1946, it became (May 25) independent as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan.