JORDAN

Background
1. Following World War I, Jordan went under the UK mandate.
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It adopted the name of Jordan in 1950.

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The country's long-time ruler was King HUSSEIN (1953-99). A pragmatic leader, he
successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, UK and
USSR then), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population,
despite several wars and coup attempts.

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In 1989 he reinstituted parliamentary elections and gradual political liberalization.

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In 1994 Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel.

6.

King ABDULLAH II, the son of King HUSSEIN, 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.

Geography
1. Location:

Middle East, bounded on the north by Syria, on the north-east by Iraq, on the east
and south by Saudi Arabia, on the south-west by the Gulf of Aqaba, and on the west
by Israel and Palestine
2.

Total land boundary length: 1,635 km

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Coastline: 26 km

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Area: 92,300 km2

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Elevation extremes:

a) Lowest point: Dead Sea - 408 m below sea level (lowest point on earth)
b)

Highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m

6. Nationality: noun:

Jordanian(s) adjective: Jordanian

7.

Government type: constitutional monarchy

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Chief of State: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 Feb1999); Crown Prince HUSSEIN (born

28 June 1994), eldest son of King ABDALLAH II

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Capital City: Amman

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10. Independence: 25

May 1946

11. National symbol: Eagle

12. National Flower (Flora

of Jordan): Back Iris.

13. MONETARY UNIT: The Jordanian Dinar (JD) is a paper currency of 1,00 Piasters. There

are coins of 1, 5,10, 25, 50, piasters and notes of 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 Dinars. JD1 = TL
3.71 (or TL1 = JD 0.26).
14. Time Zone: 3 pm = noon UTC
15. Density 68.4/km2
16. Languages: Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes

Demography:
1. Population: 6,778,804 (Feb 2015 est.)
2. Ethnic Groups: Jordanians represent a mixed stock. Most of the population is Arab
(approximately 96%). The Palestinian Arabs now resident in Jordan tend to be
inactive and urban. 3% of the population is Armenian, and another 2% is Circassian.
There are also small Kurd, Druze, and Chechen minorities.
The ethnic demography of Jordan is largely the result of warfare and refugee creation
in neighboring countries. Though the government conducted an official census in
2010, it does not document the population in terms of ethnicity or religion.
Nonetheless, it is believed that the majority are not ethnic Jordanians. Rather, the
demographic majority are Palestinians (50 percent), followed by ethnic Jordanians
(30-35 percent) and Iraqis (15-20 percent), with smaller numbers of Syrians,
Assyrians, Armenians, Chechens, Circassians, and migrant workers from Egypt, Sri
Lanka and the Philippines.
3. Languages
a) Arabic is the official language of the country and is spoken even by the ethnic minorities
who maintain their own languages in their everyday lives.
b) English is widely understood by the upper and middle classes, Spanish, French, German
and Turkish are becoming popular.
4. Religions
a) Islam is the state religion, as indicated in the constitution.
b) All groups are guaranteed religious freedom.
c) Most Jordanians (about 95%) are Sunni Muslims. Christians constitute about 5% of the
population, most are Greek Orthodox or Roman Catholic.
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 Climate
1. The Jordan Valley has little rainfall, intense summer heat, and mild, pleasant winters.
2. The hill country of the East Bankancient Moab, Edom, and Gileadhas a modified
Mediterranean climate, with more rainfall and hot, dry summers.
3. The desert regions are subject to great extremes of temperature and receive rainfall of less
than 20 cm annually.
4. The rest of the country has an average rainfall of up to 70 cm a year.
5. Temperatures at Amman range from about 0c in winter to more than 32c in summer.
Environment International Agreements
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands etc.
International organization participation:
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UN, United Nations

UNCTAD, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNESCO, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UNHCR, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
UNIDO, United Nations Industrial Development Organization
UNMEE, United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea
UNMIL, United Nations Mission in Liberia
UNMIS, United Nations Missions in Sudan
UNOCI, United Nations Operation in Cte d'Ivoire
UNOMIG, United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia
UNRWA, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
UNTAET United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
MINUSTAH, United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti
ONUB, United Nations Operation in Burundi
MONUC, United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Interpol, International Police
AFESD Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization,
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization ,
ICRM, Int'l Committee Radionuclide Metrology
ILO, International Labor Organization
IMF International Monetary Fund
IMO, International Maritime Organization
IOM, International Organization for Migration
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OIC, Organization of the Islamic Conference

UNWTO, World Tourism Organization
WHO, World Health Organization
WTO World Trade Organization
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency,
ICC International Chamber of Commerce
IFAD, International Fund for Agricultural Development
IFRCS, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
IOC International Olympic Committee,
IDA, International Development Association
IFC, International Finance Corporation
ITU, International Telecommunication Union
MIGA, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
WFTU, World Federation of Trade Unions
IBRD The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
IDB Islamic Development Bank
ISO, International Organization for Standardization
OPCW, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
ABEDA Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa
G-77, seventy-seven developing countries signatories
PCA, The Portland Cement Association
AMF Arab Monetary Fund
CAEU Council of Arab Economic Unity
ICCt The International Council on Clean Transportation
IPU, Inter-Parliamentary Union
ITUC, International Trade Union Confederation
OSCE (partner), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
UPU, Universal Postal Union
WCO, World Customs Organization
WIPO, World Intellectual Property Organization
WMO, World Meteorological Organization

Peacekeeping:
There are about 66,000 Jordanian troops working with the United Nations in peacekeeping
missions across the world. These soldiers provide everything from military defense,
training of native police, medical help, and charity.
There are Jordanian peacekeepers in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America.
In some missions, the number of Jordanian troops was the second largest, (HaitiMINUSTAH).
Jordan also provides extensive training of security forces in Iraq, the Palestinian territories,
and the GCC.
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 Jordan has dispatched several field hospitals to conflict zones and areas affected by natural
disasters across the world such as Iraq, the West Bank, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Haiti,
Indonesia, Congo, Liberia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sierra Leone, Pakistan and many
more. The Kingdom's military field hospitals extended aid to more than one million people

in Iraq, someone million in the West Bank and 55,000 in Lebanon. The Jordanian Armed
Forces field hospital in Afghanistan has since 2002 provided assistance to some 750,000
persons and has significantly reduced the suffering of people residing in areas where the
hospital operates.

Jordanian Foreign Policy:

THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN has long played a regional foreign policy role that
seems to belie its small size and its limited economic and military means. That role in no way
diminished even after the succession in the Jordanian monarchy from King Hussein to his son
Abdullah in 1999. However, with the death of Hussein and the accession to the throne of King
Abdullah II, Jordan did nonetheless have a new top foreign policy maker.
Since ascending the throne in 1999, King Abdullah has strengthened Jordan's international
ties to major extra-regional powers such as the United States and the European Union.
He also linked the kingdom's fortunes to major international economic institutions, such as
the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization.
Over the past 16 years of King Abdullah's reign. The world has undergone tumultuous and
violent times in regional politics - from the collapse of the peace process, to the renewed
Palestinian Intifada, to U.S. wars against both Afghanistan and Iraq to the Arab Spring.
Yet throughout these turbulent events, Jordan has continued to play a key role in the prospects
for both war and peace in the region.
The May 2003 summit in Jordan's capital, Amman, between President George W. Bush,
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas
underscored the centrality of the Jordanian role in particular in attempts to revive the
declining peace process.
In June 2003, the World Economic Forum held a special summit at Jordan's Dead Sea
resort, underscoring Jordan's determination to court the world's most wealthy and powerful
economic actors, while also demonstrating the central role that these economic "powersthat-be" seem to attach to Jordan within Middle East politics.

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 Later that same month, the "Quartet" of officials from the U.S., United Nations, European
Union, and Russia again chose to meet in Jordan in an attempt to implement their
"Roadmap for Peace."
The major powers of the early 21st Century seemed to regard Jordan as geo-politically far
more important than its size or resources might otherwise suggest.
Jordan has maintained its peace treaty with Israel
In inter-Arab relations, Jordan under King Abdullah has managed to complete the long and
difficult process (since the depths of the 1991 Gulf war) of reestablishing relations with
each of the Arab Gulf monarchies. The kingdom has developed a close relationship with
Washington's other major Arab ally, Egypt,
Jordan under King Abdullah II has placed a premium on stabilizing and strengthening its
inter-Arab and other regional relations.
In its external relations Jordan has achieved many of its goals. These include in particular:
Establishing stronger ties with its traditional Western allies and with the main global
economic institutions.
Jordan under King Abdullah solidified its alliances and its aid links to the United States
and the United Kingdom, while also strengthening ties to the European Union as a
whole and working closely with the IMF, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.
Jordan had furthermore repaired its formerly ruptured ties with Arab states from Iraq to
Syria to Egypt to each Arab Gulf monarchy - all while preserving its peace treaty with
Israel and its military links to Turkey.
The slogan "Jordan first" was aimed at Jordans National Security for both the state and the
society, thus the King started a revitalization process of the political liberalization. In that regard,
the kingdom's June 2003 parliamentary elections were a step in the right direction. The elections
were the first since 1997, the first since the dissolution of parliament in 2001, and the first in the
reign of King Abdullah II.

Arab Spring?
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was watched closely during the early events of the Arab
Spring in 2011.
Many Western analysts expressed concerns that it would be the next country in which large
protests and social and political mobilization would shift the scales of power away from
the ruling regime to the protestors on the street. However, that did not happen.
The country neither mobilized en masse nor saw their interests culminate in calls for an
ousting of the monarchy.
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 The Arab Spring in Jordan was manifest mainly in media-based activity such as blogs and
in relatively frequent, but small, contained and nonviolent protests in Amman.
In fact, the deposing of King Abdullah never made the list of demands for political and
economic reform, in comparison to most other countries swept by the Arab Spring.
Jordan has been spared the major unrest that has seen other Arab rulers toppled.
Protests began in January 2011, with people calling for more jobs and an end to government
corruption and economic reform.
In January 2013, parliamentary elections were held two years early, with the king
promising to consult parliament over the choice of prime minister for the first time.
In March 2013, King Abdullah insisted he could lead the transition to democracy, in part
to ensure that power was not delivered to Islamists.

Where are we now?

In August, the reform-minded Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour reshuffled his cabinet to
strengthen the role of technocrats charged with speeding up the reforms demanded by the IMF,
amid continued public resistance and the rising economic cost of more than a million refugees
who have fled the conflict in neighboring Syria.

Turkey and Jordan

Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Turkey and the Hashemite Kingdom of
Jordan were established through the signing of Treaty of Friendship on 11 January 1947.
Turkish Embassy in Amman has been functioning since 28 April 1947.
In November 1996, the U.S. declared that Jordan as a "non-NATO ally," an unusual status
in effect granting Jordan "priority consideration"' for future arms and military aid requests.
The kingdom further extended its bilateral military ties with Turkey, which amounted to a
Jordanian-Turkish alliance. In 1996, Jordan and Turkey signed a defense accord, and in
1998, the two countries conducted joint military exercises.
The Turkish-Jordanian relations are founded on the solid basis of brotherly ties between
Turkish and Jordanian people, who are bound by history and geography.
More than 50 agreements and memorandums of understanding have been signed between
the two countries until today, laying the legal framework of bilateral cooperation.
The enactment of the Free Trade Agreement and the Agreement on Visa Exemption in
2009 upgraded the level of relations.
The Free Trade Agreement entered into force on March 2011.
Economic and commercial relations between the two countries are on an increasing trend.

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 The trade volume reached 815 million USD in 2013. The total volume of Turkish
investments in Jordan stands at USD 300 million and the total value of contracting works
undertaken by Turkish companies since 2000 have reached USD 2,4 billion.
Cultural cooperation constitutes an important aspect of Turkish-Jordanian bilateral
relations.
Yunus Emre Turkish Culture Center, which was inaugurated in 2011, is offering Turkish
language courses, attended by more than 500 Jordanians and organizing various cultural
activities.
Turkish language branch in JAFLI established in 1992 to qualify officers of JAf and other
Jordanian security Services in Turkish Language.
Turkish language department at the University of Jordan was established in 2010. The
department had celebrated its first graduates in 2014.
Approximately 4.500 Turkish citizens are living in Jordan.
The impact of moderation in Turkish and Jordanian societies in the Middle East is
immensely important as a barricade to guard against and curb the spread of fanaticism and
radicalism that exploit the religious sensitivities of the people. Turkey has proven to be
successful in bringing its own model by emphasizing the centuries-long tradition of a
spiritual Sufi interpretation of Islam. Since this experience emphasizes that Muslims should
focus on improving themselves with an inner-oriented approach, this stands in contrast
with the radical Wahhabi/ Salafi ideology which most Turks greatly loathe.
The Four-year-long Syrian crisis has really been testing both countries with a number of
problems that are not so easy to tackle. In contrast to other countries, both Turkey and
Jordan have received hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who fled the violence in
the Arab country. The number is expected to climb further, costing the economies of both
countries.
But more importantly, as the Syrian crisis is lingering longer than originally anticipated,
the social fabric of both countries, especially in areas bordering Syria, is increasingly
exposed to security risks, unsettling the fault lines in the respective societies.
Both Turkey and Jordan, sharing borders with Iraq, are interested in seeing a stable Iraq
free of sectarian strife. As the Iraqi economy is reeling from years of occupation and civil
war, both Turkey and Jordan have helped the Iraqi government rebuild the country's
infrastructure while supplying much-needed goods through their territories. King Abdullah
II was the first Arab leader to pay a visit to Baghdad in 2008, followed by Erdoan a year
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However Iraqi Shiite PMS sharp turn towards sectarian policies were met with great concern by
both Ankara and Amman.
Jordan's rulers, coming from a prominent Arab Muslim dynasty called the Hashemites, who were
the protectors of the holy sites of Mecca and Medina until the Wahhabis captured Western Arabia
in the early 20th century, are the traditional enemies of Wahhabis. If the Hashemites still ruled
these places, we would probably not have witnessed the destruction of the rich Islamic and
Turkish cultural heritage in and around these holy sites. A significant portion of Jordanian society
has a huge dislike for Wahhabis/Salafis as well. It is no wonder that al-Qaeda and DAESH and
other terrorist organizations do not like Turkey and Jordan, the two Muslim countries that have
good relations with the West and a working relationship with Israel, albeit bumpy at times.
Jordanian intelligence services have considerable experience in cracking down on terrorist cells
and can really help Turkey improve its capacity in fighting against these groups in places where
Turkey has invested a lot in, from Africa to Central Asia.
All in all, Jordan is an important Arab country that has always maintained good relations with
Turkey. Ankara should invest political, economic and social capital to protect this island of
stability in the Middle East. King Abdullah's upcoming visit to Turkey in March should be utilized
to turn what seem to be excellent ideas of cooperation into concrete action plans

Jordan- US
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations more than six decades ago, Jordan and the
United States have enjoyed strong relations based on common goals and mutual respect.
The relationship has endured the complexities and volatilities of the Middle East and has
demonstrated that the two countries can rely on each other as allies and partners.
Jordan has enjoyed a close relationship with U.S. Presidents since the Eisenhower
administration.
HM the late King Hussein and HM King Abdullah II have been steadfast in strengthening
this bond, which continues today with President Obama and his administration. Members
of both the House and Senate have frequently visited Jordan as a testament to the
importance of the relationship between the two nations. His Majesty King Abdullah II is
among the few foreign leaders that have addressed a joint session of Congress.
Jordan and the U.S. have worked together on Jordans top foreign policy priority, the
Middle East peace process, and other common foreign policy goals. Jordan will continue
working with the Obama administration to re-launch the peace process between Israel and
the Palestinians with the U.S. continuing to play the leading role.
Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, Jordan stood with the U.S. in its effort to
combat the common threat of terrorism and radical ideology. The two sides have worked
together and with the international community to rid the world of the scourge of terrorism
and end the threat posed to the national security of both countries.
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 With the crisis in Syria continuing to escalate, the conflict has become a major source of
bloodshed and regional instability. Jordan appreciates the coordination and the assistance
from the U.S. in dealing with the repercussions of this conflict; mostly notably the influx
of more than a million Syrians into Jordan. Jordan continues to work with the U.S. on
limiting the effects of the conflict on the region.
Jordan has received more than $13 billion in assistance since the establishment of
diplomatic relations between the two countries. This has helped Jordan build its
institutions, develop its infrastructure and be a source of moderation and stability in the
Middle East. USAID and other programs such as the Millennium Challenge Account have
brought significant contributions to economic developments in Jordan.
In 2000, Jordan signed a free trade agreement with the U.S., which, after being enacted in
2001, boosted trade to unprecedented levels. In 2011 bilateral trade exceeded $2 billion
which is an indication of the success of the FTA in inducing bilateral trade.
Jordan is committed to ongoing reforms that will advance political life in Jordan and bring
prosperity to the country. Jordan, which held its first elections following major
constitutional and legislative amendments, is continuing in the transition towards
parliamentary democracy. Jordan appreciates the input of the U.S. government in this
regard and its assistance in reaching such goals.

Cities and Tourist Sites

Amman
A sprawling city spread over 19 hills, Amman is the modern - as well as the ancient - capital of the
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Known as Rabbath-Ammon during the Iron Age and later as
Philadelphia, the ancient city that was once part of the Decapolis league, now boasts a population of
around 3 million people.
Petra
(A rose-red city half as old as time)
Often described as the eighth wonder of the ancient world, is without a doubt Jordans most valuable
treasure and greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the
Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled there more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an
important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern
Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome.
The Dead Sea
The lowest elevation on the Earths surface on dry land. It is 55 km. long. The Dead Sea is 378 m. below
sea level. There are no fish or any kind of swimming creatures living in or near the water. People can
float effortlessly on the waters of the Dead Sea due to its concentration of minerals, which is the highest
in the world, as much as 35% of the water is dissolved salts! The Dead Sea is actually a lake with only
one official source the Jordan River.
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Desert Castles
Beautiful examples of both early Islamic art and architecture from the early Islamic period to the
Ottoman Empire, stand testament to a fascinating era in the country's rich history. Their fine mosaics,
frescoes, stone and stucco carvings and illustrations tell countless stories of the life as it was during the
course of history.
An Ottoman castle in Jordans Irbid city, which was constructed by the Ottoman Sultan Sleyman the
Magnificent and with its walls made of basalt stones, is now a popular tourist attraction in the country.
The castle serves as a museum today. It has many rooms containing historical and ancient artifacts in
chronological order.
Al Karak
A city in southern Jordan known for its Crusader castle, the Kerak Castle. The castle is one of the
three largest castles in the region, the other two being in Syria.
Karak lies 140 kilometers to the south of Amman. It is situated on a hilltop about 1,000 meters above
sea level and is surrounded on three sides by a valley. Karak has a view of the Dead Sea. The city has
been built up around the castle and it has buildings from the 19th-century Ottoman period.
Wadi Rum
An astonishing, timeless place, virtually untouched by humanity and its destructive forces. There, it is
the weather and winds that have carved the imposing, towering skyscrapers, so elegantly described by
T.E. Lawrence as vast, echoing and God-like. .
Mount Nebo
The place where it is believed that Moses was buried and the most revered Holy site in Jordan. When
you stand at the top of this mountain, you can see, as Moses did, the vast panorama that encompasses
the Jordan River Valley, the Dead Sea, Jericho and Jerusalem.
According to legend, this is also the place where Jeremiah hid the Ark of the Covenant. It was a place
of pilgrimage for early Christians and Mount Nebos first church was built in the 4th century to
commemorate the site of Moses death.
Jerash
The ancient city of Jerash boasts an unbroken chain of human occupation dating back more than 6,500
years. The city's golden age came under Roman rule and the site is now generally acknowledged to be
one of the best-preserved Roman provincial towns in the world. Hidden for centuries in sand before
being excavated and restored over the past 70 years, Jerash reveals a fine example of the grand, formal
provincial Roman urbanism that is found throughout the Middle East.
Aqaba
The beaches on the Gulf of Aqaba offer holiday relaxation for Jordanians, as well as tourists. Sports
facilities include swimming pools, tennis and squash courts, and bowling alleys.

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Jordan- Iran
Relations between Jordan and Iran were strained immediately following the establishment
of the Islamic Republic due to the Hashemite Kingdoms close relationship with the
Pahlavi monarchy of Iran.
Ties between the two states were most severely damaged, however, by Jordans support
for Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1989.
Iran and Jordan resumed diplomatic ties in 1991 on the embassy level, though relations
between the two states have been slow to recover.
In 1994, tensions flared when Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel
That same year hostilities escalated when Jordan expelled 21 Iranian diplomats shortly
after a high-ranking Jordanian diplomat was killed in Syria-controlled West Beirut,
Lebanon.
Economic ties between Jordan and Iran have been extremely limited as a result of their
troubled diplomatic relationship.

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