Jordan

Conventional long name
Common name	Jordan, The Jordanian Kingdom
Native name	L'Ürdünn
Image coat	Jordanian Coat of Arms.gif
National anthem	عاش المليك The Royal Anthem of Jordan ("As-salam al-malaki al-urdoni") Long Live the King
National motto	Arabic: الله، الوطن، المليك Transliteration: Allah Al-Watan Al-Malek Translation: "God, The Homeland, The King"
Demonym	Jordanian
Capital	Amman
Government type
Leader title1	King Jordan Mershimer
Leader name1	Abdullah II Jordan mersher
Leader title2	Prime Minister
Leader name2	Samir Rifai
Sovereignty type	Independence
Established event1	End of British League of Nations mandate
Established date1	25 May 1946
Area km2	92,300
Area sq mi	35,637
Area rank	112th
Area highest point	Mount Um Dami (1,855 m)
Area lowest point	Dead Sea (-446 m)
Percent water	0.8
Population estimate	6,269,285
Population estimate year	July 2010
Population estimate rank	102nd
Population census	5,611,202
Population census year	July 2004
Population density km2	68.4
Population density sq mi	138.8
Population density sq mi (w/o water)	175
Population density rank	131st
Gdp ppp year	2009
Gdp ppp	$33.658 billion
Gdp ppp per capita	$5,620 It is a founding member of the Arab League, the WTO, the AFESD, the Arab Parliament, the AIDMO, the AMF, the IMF, the International Criminal Court, the UNHRC, the GAFTA, the ESCWA, the ENP and the United Nations. Jordan is also currently undergoing close integration with the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Jordan expects to receive "advanced status" with the EU by 2011.
Marksize	19 }}

Jordan consists of arid forest plateau in the east irrigated by oasis and seasonal water streams, with highland area in the west of arable land and Mediterranean evergreen forestry. The Great Rift Valley of the Jordan River separates Jordan, the west bank and Israel. The highest point in the country is Jabal Umm al Dami, it is above sea level, its top is also covered with snow, while the lowest is the Dead Sea . Jordan is part of a region considered to be "the cradle of civilization", the Levant region of the Fertile Crescent.

Major cities include the capital Amman in the northwest, Irbid, Jerash and Zarqa, in the north. Madaba, Karak and Aqaba in the south.

Climate

The climate in Jordan is semi-dry in summer with average temperature in the mid 30°C (mid 90°F) and relatively cold in winter averaging around . The western part of the country receives greater precipitation during the winter season from November to March and snowfall in Amman ( ~ above sea-level) and Western Heights of . Excluding the rift valley the rest of the country is entirely above (SL).

The major characteristic of the climate is humid from November to March and semi dry weather for the rest of the year. With hot, dry summers and cool winters during which practically all of the precipitation occurs, the country has a Mediterranean-style climate. In general, the farther inland from the Mediterranean a given part of the country lies, the greater are the seasonal contrasts in temperature and the less rainfall. Atmospheric pressures during the summer months are relatively uniform, whereas the winter months bring a succession of marked low pressure areas and accompanying cold fronts. These cyclonic disturbances generally move eastward from over the Mediterranean Sea several times a month and result in sporadic precipitation.

Most of the land receives less than of rain a year and may be classified as a semi dry region. Where the ground rises to form the highlands east of the Jordan Valley, precipitation increases to around in the south and or more in the north. The Jordan Valley, forms a narrow climatic zone that annually receives up to of rain in the northern reaches; rain dwindles to less than at the head of the Dead Sea.

The country's long summer reaches a peak during August. January is usually the coldest month. The fairly wide ranges of temperature during a twenty-four-hour period are greatest during the summer months and have a tendency to increase with higher elevation. Daytime temperatures during the summer months frequently exceed and average about . In contrast, the winter months—September to March—bring moderately cool and sometimes very cold weather, averaging about . Except in the rift depression, frost is fairly common during the winter, it may take the form of snow at the higher elevations of the north western highlands. Usually it snows a couple of times in the winter.

For a month or so before and after the summer dry season, hot, dry air from the desert, drawn by low pressure, produces strong winds from the south or southeast that sometimes reach gale force. Known in the Middle East by various names, including the khamsin, this dry, sirocco-style wind is usually accompanied by great dust clouds. Its onset is heralded by a hazy sky, a falling barometer, and a drop in relative humidity to about 10 percent. Within a few hours there may be a to rise in temperature. These windstorms ordinarily last a day or so, cause much discomfort, and destroy crops by desiccating them. The shamal, comes from the north or northwest, generally at intervals between June and September. Steady during daytime hours but becoming a breeze at night, the shamal may blow for as long as nine days out of ten and then repeat the process. It originates as a dry continental mass of polar air that is warmed as it passes over the Eurasian landmass.

Administrative divisions

The Administrative Divisions system by the Ministry of Interior divided Jordan into 12 provinces called governorates, each headed by a governor appointed by the king. They are the sole authorities for all government departments and development projects in their respective areas. The Governorates are:

{| class="infobox" style="text-align:center; width:100%; font-size:92%" |- ! style="text-align:center;" colspan="11"| Governorates of Jordan by population |- ! rowspan=27 width:200|

Fuheis in Balqa Governorate
and the Red Sea]]
Aqaba and the Red Sea
(in Irbid Governorate)]]
Al Husn destrict of Metropolitan Irbid (in Irbid Governorate)
! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"| Rank ! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"| Province ! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"| Population ! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"| Area (Km²) ! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"| Density (ppKm²) ! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"| Capital ! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"| Population (Metro) ! rowspan=20 width:150| in Ma'an Governorate]]
Shoubak in Ma'an Governorate

The Zarqa River
, Jordan's capital]]
Amman, Jordan's capital
|- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 1 ||align=left | Capital Governorate || 2,027,685 || 8231 || 246.3 ||align=left | Amman || 1,919,000 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 2 ||align=left | Irbid Governorate || 950,700 || 1621 || 570.3 ||align=left | Irbid || 650,000 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 3 ||align=left | Zarqa Governorate || 838,256 || 4080 || 205.5 ||align=left | Zarqa || 447,880 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 4 ||align=left | Balqa Governorate || 349,580 || 1076 || 324.9||align=left | Salt || 96,700 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 5 ||align=left | Mafraq Governorate || 245,671 || 26435 || 9.3 ||align=left | Mafraq || 56,340 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 6 ||align=left | Kerak Governorate || 214,225 || 3217 || 66.6 ||align=left | Kerak || 68,810 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 7 ||align=left | Jerash Governorate || 156,675 || 402 || 370 ||align=left | Jerash || 39,540 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 8 ||align=left | Madaba Governorate || 135,890 || 2008 || 67.7 ||align=left | Madaba || 83,180 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 9 ||align=left | Ajloun Governorate || 118,496 || 412 || 287.1 ||align=left | Ajloun || 55,000 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 10 ||align=left | Aqaba Governorate || 107,115|| 6583 || 16.3 ||align=left | Aqaba || 95,408 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 11 ||align=left | Ma'an Governorate || 103,920 || 33163 || 3.1 ||align=left | Ma'an || 50,350 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 12 ||align=left | Tafilah Governorate || 81,000 || 2114 || 38.3 ||align=left | Tafilah || 38,400 |- | colspan="4" style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"| Source: دائرة الإحصاءات العامة - الأردن Jordanian Department of Statistics (with 2005 population estimates) |}

The Governorates are divided into 52 departments.

Demographics

The Jordan National Census for the year 2004 was released on October 1 of the same year, According to the census, Jordan had a population of 5,100,981. The census estimated that there are another 190,000 who were not counted (for being out of the country at the time the census was taken, or did not turn in their forms). National growth rate was 2.5% (at maximum) compared to 3.3% of the 1994 census. Males made up 51.5% of Jordan's population (2,628,717), while females constituted 2,472,264 (48.5%). Jordanian citizens made up 93% of the population (4,750,463), while non-Jordanian citizens made up 7% (349,933). However, it is estimated that most of those who did not turn in their forms were immigrants from neighboring countries, There were 946,000 households in Jordan in 2004, with an average of 5.3 persons/household (compared to 6 persons/household for the census of 1994). The next census is scheduled to take place in 2014.

Of the non-Jordanian population which comprise 2% to 5% of Jordan's population, most are Circassians, Chechens, Armenians, Turkmans, and Gypsies, all of which have maintained separate ethnic identities, but have integrated into mainstream Jordanian culture. Since the Iraq War many Christians (Assyrians/Chaldeans) from Iraq have settled permanently or temporarily in Jordan.

During the years 2004–2007, Jordan saw a rapid increase in its population due to the heavy migration of Iraqi refugees, an independent census carried in 2007, estimated that there are 700,000 Iraqis residing in Jordan, other estimates put them as high as one million Iraqis. Estimates put the population of Jordan slightly over 6,300,000 as of the year 2009 (increasing from 5,100,000 in 2004).

population in Jordan.]] Jordan has one of the highest immigration rates in the world (16th) but immigration has dropped in recent years leaving Jordan ranked 114th in the world in 2010 .

UNRWA indicates that as many as 1,951,603 persons are registered as Palestinian refugees in 2008 mostly as Jordanian citizens.

According to Labour Ministry figures, the number of guest workers in the country now stands just over 300,000, most are Egyptians who makeup 227,000 of the foreign labor, and the remaining 36,150 workers are mostly from Bangladesh, China, Sri Lanka and India. . -->

Religion

Category:Southwest Asian countries Category:Middle Eastern countries Category:Arab League member states Category:Arabic-speaking countries Category:Fertile Crescent Category:Levant Category:Near Eastern countries Category:Countries bordering the Red Sea Category:Organisation of the Islamic Conference members Category:Western Asia Category:States and territories established in 1946