Jordan

I.

PROFILE Official name: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Capital: Amman Type of government: Constitutional Monarchy Area: 89,342 km² or 45,495 sq mi Population: July 2007 (estimated) 5,924,000 Official Language: Arabic Currency: Jordanian Dinar GNP: $14.3 billion (2006) Per Capita: $ 2,533 (2007) Cities: Zarga, Irbid, Ramtha etc. Head of State: King Abdullah II Head of Government: Prime Minister Nader al-Dahabi

II. INTRODUCTION

Geographical background

Jordan is a Middle Eastern country, bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the east and south and Israel and the West Bank to the west. All these border lines add up to 1,619 kilometers (1,006 mi). The Gulf of Aqaba and the Dead Sea also touch the country, and thus Jordan has a coastline of 26 kilometers (16 mi). Jordan consists mostly of arid desert plateau in the east, with Highland area in the west. The Great Rift Valley of the Jordan River separates Jordan and Israel. The highest point in the country is Jabal Ram (1,734 m; 5,689 ft), while the lowest is the Dead Sea (-486 m; -1,594 ft). Jordan is part of a region considered to be "the cradle of civilization". The climate in Jordan is dry and hot for most of the year, since the country is mainly desert. However, the western part of the country receives greater precipitation during the winter season from November to March and occasional snowfall in Amman and the Western Heights. •

• •

•

Natural Resources: Phosphate deposits were Jordan's primary natural resource and a major source of export income. Estimates of Jordan's proven, indicated, and probable reserves ranged from 1.5 billion to 2.5 billion tons. Potash was the other major component of Jordan's mining sector. There are extremely large proven and exploitable reserves of oil shale in the central and north-western regions of the country. The proved amount of oil shale in place is reported by the WEC Member Committee to be 40 billion tons; proved recoverable reserves of shale oil are put at 4 billion tons, with estimated additional reserves of 20 billion tons. Jordanian shales are generally of quite good quality, with relatively low ash and moisture content. Gross calorific value (7.5 MJ/kg) and oil yield (8-12%) are on a par with those of western Colorado (USA) shale; however, Jordanian shale has exceptionally high sulphur content (up to 9% by weight of the organic content). The reserves are exploitable by opencast mining and are easily accessible. The government was concerned that scarcity of water could ultimately place a cap on both agricultural and industrial development. Economy:

Jordan is almost landlocked and has inadequate supplies of water, which makes it unsuitable for agriculture. Limited natural resources have

hampered economic growth. Jordan heavily depends upon foreign aid from its oil rich neighbors. Recently, Jordan has embarked on economic reforms to improve the economy. The Jordanian government has worked closely with the IMF, practiced careful monetary policy, made significant progress with privatization and liberalized the trade regime sufficiently in order to guarantee Jordan's membership in the Word Trade Organization. Jordan’s agricultural sector produces tomatoes, citrus fruit, cucumbers, watermelons, aubergines and wheat, mostly grown in the fertile ground along the Jordan Valley. Phosphate mining and potash extraction are the traditional industries, but oil refining, chemical manufacturing, food processing, and the production of metals and minerals also contribute to this sector. Many Jordanian workers have moved abroad in search of employment and their remittances are an essential means of support for many families.

III.HISTORY In biblical times, the country that is now Jordan contained the lands of Edom, Moab, Ammon, and Bashan. Together with other Middle Eastern territories, Jordan passed in turn to the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, and, about 330 B.C., the Seleucids. Conflict between the Seleucids and the Ptolemies enabled the Arabicspeaking Nabataeans to create a kingdom in southeast Jordan. In A.D. 106 it became part of the Roman province of Arabia and in 633–636 was conquered by the Arabs. In the 16th century, Jordan submitted to Ottoman Turkish rule and was administered from Damascus. Taken from the Turks by the British in World War I, Jordan (formerly known as Transjordan) was separated from the Palestine mandate in 1920, and in 1921, placed under the rule of Abdullah ibn Hussein. In 1923, Britain recognized Jordan's independence, subject to the mandate. In 1946, grateful for Jordan's loyalty in World War II, Britain abolished the mandate. That part of Palestine occupied by Jordanian troops was formally incorporated by action of the Jordanian parliament in 1950. King Abdullah was assassinated in 1951. His son Talal, who was mentally ill, was deposed the next year. Talal's son Hussein, born on Nov. 14, 1935, succeeded him. From the beginning of his reign, Hussein had to steer a careful course between his powerful neighbor to the west, Israel, and rising Arab nationalism, frequently a direct threat to his throne. The 1967 war led to a dramatic increase in the number of Palestinians, especially from the West Bank, living in Jordan. Its Palestinian refugee population — 700,000 in 1966 — grew by another 300,000 from the West Bank. The period following the 1967 war saw an upsurge in the power and importance of Palestinian resistance elements (fedayeen) in Jordan. The heavily armed fedayeen constituted a growing threat to the sovereignty and security of the Hashemite state, and open fighting erupted in June 1970. The battle in which Palestinian fighters from various Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) groups were expelled from Jordan is commonly known as Black September.

Fighting occurred along the 1967 Jordan River cease-fire line during the October 1973 Arab-Israeli war, but Jordan sent a brigade to Syria to fight Israeli units on Syrian territory. Jordan did not participate in the Gulf War of 1990–91. In 1991, Jordan agreed, along with Syria, Lebanon, and Palestinian fedayeen representatives, to participate in direct peace negotiations with Israel at the Madrid Conference, sponsored by the U.S. and Russia.

IV. CLIPPINGS V.

CONCLUSION