270 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
270 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
|
JORDAN
|
|||
|
|
(see separate West Bank entry)
|
|||
|
|
Note: The war between Israel and the Arab states in June 1967 ended
|
|||
|
|
with Israel in control of the West Bank. As stated in the 1978 Camp David
|
|||
|
|
Accords and reaffirmed by President Reagan's 1 September 1982 peace
|
|||
|
|
initiative, the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, their
|
|||
|
|
relationship with their neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and
|
|||
|
|
Jordan are to be negotiated among the concerned parties. The Camp David
|
|||
|
|
Accords further specify that these negotiations will resolve the location
|
|||
|
|
of the respective boundaries. Pending the completion of this process, it
|
|||
|
|
is US policy that the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has
|
|||
|
|
yet to be determined.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
GEOGRAPHY
|
|||
|
|
Total area: 91,880 km2; land area: 91,540 km2
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Land boundaries: 1,586 km total; Iraq 134 km, Israel 238 km,
|
|||
|
|
Saudi Arabia 742 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Coastline: 26 km
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Maritime claims:
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Territorial sea: 3 nm
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Disputes: differences with Israel over the location of the
|
|||
|
|
1949 Armistice Line which separates the two countries
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Climate: mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to
|
|||
|
|
April)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Terrain: mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west;
|
|||
|
|
Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Land use: arable land 4%; permanent crops 0.5%; meadows and
|
|||
|
|
pastures 1%; forest and woodland 0.5%; other 94%; includes irrigated 0.5%
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Environment: lack of natural water resources; deforestation;
|
|||
|
|
overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
PEOPLE
|
|||
|
|
Population: 3,412,553 (July 1991), growth rate 4.2% (1991)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1991)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Net migration rate: 1 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Infant mortality rate: 38 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 73 years female (1991)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Total fertility rate: 7.1 children born/woman (1991)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Nationality: noun--Jordanian(s); adjective--Jordanian
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Ethnic divisions: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Religion: Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 8%
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Language: Arabic (official); English widely understood among
|
|||
|
|
upper and middle classes
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Literacy: 80% (male 89%, female 70%) age 15 and over can
|
|||
|
|
read and write (1990 est.)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Labor force: 572,000 (1988); agriculture 20%, manufacturing and
|
|||
|
|
mining 20% (1987 est.)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Organized labor: about 10% of labor force
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Note: 1.5-1.7 million Palestinians live on the East Bank (55-60%
|
|||
|
|
of the population), most are Jordanian citizens
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
GOVERNMENT
|
|||
|
|
Long-form name: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Type: constitutional monarchy
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Capital: Amman
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Administrative divisions: 8 governorates (muhafazat,
|
|||
|
|
singular--muhafazah); Al Balqa, Al Karak, Al Mafraq,
|
|||
|
|
Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa, Irbid, Maan
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under
|
|||
|
|
British administration; formerly Trans-Jordan)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Constitution: 8 January 1952
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Legal system: based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial
|
|||
|
|
review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not
|
|||
|
|
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May (1946)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
|
|||
|
|
Cabinet
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly (Majlis al-Umma)
|
|||
|
|
consists of an upper house or House of Notables (Majlis al-Aayan) and a
|
|||
|
|
lower house or House of Deputies (Majlis al-Nuwaab); note--the
|
|||
|
|
House of Deputies was dissolved by King Hussein on 30 July 1988 as
|
|||
|
|
part of Jordanian disengagement from the West Bank and in November 1989
|
|||
|
|
the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held, with no seats
|
|||
|
|
going to Palestinians on the West Bank
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Judicial branch: Court of Cassation
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Leaders:
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Chief of State--King HUSSEIN Ibn Talal I (since 11 August 1952);
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Head of Government--Prime Minister Tahir al-MASRI (since 17 June
|
|||
|
|
1991)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Political parties and leaders: none; after the 1989 parliamentary
|
|||
|
|
elections, King Hussein promised to allow the formation of political
|
|||
|
|
parties; a national charter that sets forth the ground rules for
|
|||
|
|
democracy in Jordan--including the creation of political parties--has
|
|||
|
|
been completed but not yet approved
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Suffrage: universal at age 20
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Elections:
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
House of Representatives--last held 8 November 1989 (next to be
|
|||
|
|
held November 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA;
|
|||
|
|
seats--(80 total) Muslim Brotherhood 22, Independent Islamic bloc
|
|||
|
|
10, Democratic bloc (mostly leftist) 15, Liberal bloc (traditionalist)
|
|||
|
|
7, Nationalist bloc (traditionalist) 14, independent 12
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Communists: party actively repressed, membership less than 500
|
|||
|
|
(est.)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Member of: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77,
|
|||
|
|
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
|
|||
|
|
INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN,
|
|||
|
|
UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Hussein A. HAMMAMI;
|
|||
|
|
Chancery at 3504 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008;
|
|||
|
|
telephone (202) 966-2664;
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
US--Ambassador Roger Gram HARRISON; Embassy on Jebel Amman, Amman
|
|||
|
|
(mailing address is P. O. Box 354, Amman, or APO New York 09892);
|
|||
|
|
telephone 962 (6) 644-371
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), white, and green
|
|||
|
|
with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a small
|
|||
|
|
white seven-pointed star; the seven points on the star represent the
|
|||
|
|
seven fundamental laws of the Koran
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
ECONOMY
|
|||
|
|
Overview: Jordan was a secondary beneficiary of the oil boom of
|
|||
|
|
the late 1970s and early 1980s, when its annual GNP growth averaged
|
|||
|
|
10-12%. Recent years, however, have witnessed a sharp reduction in grant
|
|||
|
|
aid from Arab oil-producing countries and a dropoff in worker
|
|||
|
|
remittances, with national growth averaging 1-2%. Imports--mainly oil,
|
|||
|
|
capital goods, consumer durables, and foodstuffs--have been outstripping
|
|||
|
|
exports by roughly $2 billion annually, the difference being made up by
|
|||
|
|
aid, remittances, and borrowing. In mid-1989, the Jordanian Government
|
|||
|
|
agreed to implement an IMF austerity program designed to tackle the
|
|||
|
|
country's serious economic problems. The program sought to gradually
|
|||
|
|
reduce the government's budget deficit over the next several years and
|
|||
|
|
implement badly needed structural reforms in the economy. In return for
|
|||
|
|
agreeing to the IMF program, Jordan was granted IMF standby loans of over
|
|||
|
|
$100 million. Recognizing that it would be unable to cover its debt
|
|||
|
|
obligations, the government also began debt rescheduling negotiations
|
|||
|
|
with creditors in mid-1989. The onset of the Gulf crisis in August 1990
|
|||
|
|
forced the government to shelve the IMF program and suspend most debt
|
|||
|
|
payments and rescheduling negotiations. Economic prospects for 1991
|
|||
|
|
are especially gloomy, given the unsettled conditions in the Middle
|
|||
|
|
East.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
GNP: $4.6 billion, per capita $1,400; real growth rate - 15%
|
|||
|
|
(1990 est.)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (1990 est.)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Unemployment rate: 30% (January 1991 est.)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Budget: revenues $1.05 billion; expenditures $1.6 billion,
|
|||
|
|
including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Exports: $0.9 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
commodities--fruits and vegetables, phosphates, fertilizers;
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
partners--Iraq, Saudi Arabia, India, Kuwait, Japan, China,
|
|||
|
|
Yugoslavia, Indonesia
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Imports: $2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
commodities--crude oil, textiles, capital goods, motor vehicles,
|
|||
|
|
foodstuffs;
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
partners--EC, US, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Turkey, Romania, China,
|
|||
|
|
Taiwan
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
External debt: $8 billion (December 1990 est.)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Industrial production: growth rate - 15% (1990 est.); accounts
|
|||
|
|
for 20% of GDP
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Electricity: 981,000 kW capacity; 3,500 million kWh produced,
|
|||
|
|
1,180 kWh per capita (1989)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Industries: phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash,
|
|||
|
|
light manufacturing
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Agriculture: accounts for only 5% of GDP; principal products are
|
|||
|
|
wheat, barley, citrus fruit, tomatoes, melons, olives; livestock--sheep,
|
|||
|
|
goats, poultry; large net importer of food
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.7
|
|||
|
|
billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
|
|||
|
|
(1970-88), $1.3 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.5 billion;
|
|||
|
|
Communist countries (1970-89), $44 million
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Currency: Jordanian dinar (plural--dinars);
|
|||
|
|
1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Exchange rates: Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1--0.6670 (January
|
|||
|
|
1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3709 (1988), 0.3387 (1987), 0.3499
|
|||
|
|
(1986), 0.3940 (1985)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Fiscal year: calendar year
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
COMMUNICATIONS
|
|||
|
|
Railroads: 619 km 1.050-meter gauge, single track
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Highways: 7,500 km; 5,500 km asphalt, 2,000 km gravel and crushed
|
|||
|
|
stone
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Pipelines: crude oil, 209 km
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Ports: Al Aqabah
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Merchant marine: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 22,870
|
|||
|
|
GRT/38,187 DWT; includes 1 bulk, 1 cargo
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Civil air: 19 major transport aircraft
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Airports: 19 total, 16 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways;
|
|||
|
|
1 with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
|
|||
|
|
none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Telecommunications: adequate system of radio relay, cable, and
|
|||
|
|
radio; 81,500 telephones; stations--4 AM, 3 FM, 24 TV; satellite earth
|
|||
|
|
stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT,
|
|||
|
|
1 domestic TV receive-only; coaxial cable and radio relay to Iraq, Saudi
|
|||
|
|
Arabia, and Syria; radio relay to Lebanon is inactive; a microwave
|
|||
|
|
network linking Syria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Jordan
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
DEFENSE FORCES
|
|||
|
|
Branches: Jordan Arab Army, Royal Jordanian Air Force,
|
|||
|
|
Royal Jordanian Coast Guard, Public Security Force
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 778,353; 555,144 fit for
|
|||
|
|
military service; 39,879 reach military age (18) annually
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Defense expenditures: $377 million, 12.4% of GNP (1990)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|