from
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Jordan
Heb. Yarden, "the descender;" Arab. Nahr-esh-Sheriah, "the
watering-place" the chief river of Palestine. It flows from
north to south down a deep valley in the centre of the country.
The name descender is significant of the fact that there is
along its whole course a descent to its banks; or it may simply
denote the rapidity with which it "descends" to the Dead Sea.
It originates in the snows of Hermon, which feed its perennial
fountains. Two sources are generally spoken of. (1.) From the
western base of a hill on which once stood the city of Dan, the
northern border-city of Palestine, there gushes forth a
considerable fountain called the Leddan, which is the largest
fountain in Syria and the principal source of the Jordan. (2.)
Beside the ruins of Banias, the ancient Caesarea Philippi and
the yet more ancient Panium, is a lofty cliff of limestone, at
the base of which is a fountain. This is the other source of the
Jordan, and has always been regarded by the Jews as its true
source. It rushes down to the plain in a foaming torrent, and
joins the Leddan about 5 miles south of Dan (Tell-el-Kady). (3.)
But besides these two historical fountains there is a third,
called the Hasbany, which rises in the bottom of a valley at the
western base of Hermon, 12 miles north of Tell-el-Kady. It joins
the main stream about a mile below the junction of the Leddan
and the Banias. The river thus formed is at this point about 45
feet wide, and flows in a channel from 12 to 20 feet below the
plain. After this it flows, "with a swift current and a
much-twisted course," through a marshy plain for some 6 miles,
when it falls into the Lake Huleh, "the waters of Merom" (q.v.).
During this part of its course the Jordan has descended about
1,100 feet. At Banias it is 1,080 feet above sea-level. Flowing
from the southern extremity of Lake Huleh, here almost on a
level with the sea, it flows for 2 miles "through a waste of
islets and papyrus," and then for 9 miles through a narrow gorge
in a foaming torrent onward to the Sea of Galilee (q.v.).
"In the whole valley of the Jordan from the Lake Huleh to the
Sea of Galilee there is not a single settled inhabitant. Along
the whole eastern bank of the river and the lakes, from the base
of Hermon to the ravine of Hieromax, a region of great
fertility, 30 miles long by 7 or 8 wide, there are only some
three inhabited villages. The western bank is almost as
desolate. Ruins are numerous enough. Every mile or two is an old
site of town or village, now well nigh hid beneath a dense
jungle of thorns and thistles. The words of Scripture here recur
to us with peculiar force: 'I will make your cities waste, and
bring your sanctuaries unto desolation...And I will bring the
land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall
be astonished at it...And your land shall be desolate, and your
cities waste. Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as
it lieth desolate' (Lev. 26:31-34).", Dr. Porter's Handbook.
From the Sea of Galilee, at the level of 682 feet below the
Mediterranean, the river flows through a long, low plain called
"the region of Jordan" (Matt. 3:5), and by the modern Arabs the
Ghor, or "sunken plain." This section is properly the Jordan of
Scripture. Down through the midst of the "plain of Jordan" there
winds a ravine varying in breadth from 200 yards to half a mile,
and in depth from 40 to 150 feet. Through it the Jordan flows in
a rapid, rugged, tortuous course down to the Dead Sea. The whole
distance from the southern extremity of the Sea of Galilee to
the Dead Sea is in a straight line about 65 miles, but following
the windings of the river about 200 miles, during which it falls
618 feet. The total length of the Jordan from Banias is about
104 miles in a straight line, during which it falls 2,380 feet.
There are two considerable affluents which enter the river
between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, both from the east.
(1.) The Wady Mandhur, called the Yarmuk by the Rabbins and the
Hieromax by the Greeks. It formed the boundary between Bashan
and Gilead. It drains the plateau of the Hauran. (2.) The Jabbok
or Wady Zerka, formerly the northern boundary of Ammon. It
enters the Jordan about 20 miles north of Jericho.
The first historical notice of the Jordan is in the account of
the separation of Abraham and Lot (Gen. 13:10). "Lot beheld the
plain of Jordan as the garden of the Lord." Jacob crossed and
recrossed "this Jordan" (32:10). The Israelites passed over it
as "on dry ground" (Josh. 3:17; Ps. 114:3). Twice afterwards its
waters were miraculously divided at the same spot by Elijah and
Elisha (2 Kings 2:8, 14).
The Jordan is mentioned in the Old Testament about one hundred
and eighty times, and in the New Testament fifteen times. The
chief events in gospel history connected with it are (1) John
the Baptist's ministry, when "there went out to him Jerusalem,
and all Judaea, and were baptized of him in Jordan" (Matt. 3:6).
(2.) Jesus also "was baptized of John in Jordan" (Mark 1:9).
from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Jordan
Introduction
Background: Following World War I and the dissolution of the
Ottoman Empire, the UK received a mandate to govern
much of the Middle East. Britain separated out a
semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from Palestine in
the early 1920s, and the area gained its independence
in 1946; it adopted the name of Jordan in 1950. The
country's long-time ruler was King HUSSEIN (1953-99). A
pragmatic leader, he successfully navigated competing
pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK),
various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal
Palestinian population, despite several wars and coup
attempts. In 1989 he reinstituted parliamentary
elections and gradual political liberalization; in 1994
he signed a peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH 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. Jordan acceded to the World
Trade Organization in 2000, and began to participate in
the European Free Trade Association in 2001. After a
two-year delay, parliamentary and municipal elections
took place in the summer of 2003. The prime minister
appointed in December 2005 stated the government would
focus on political reforms, improving conditions for
the poor, and fighting corruption.
Geography
Location: Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia
Geographic 31 00 N, 36 00 E
coordinates:
Map Middle East
references:
Area: total: 92,300 sq km
land: 91,971 sq km
water: 329 sq km
Area - slightly smaller than Indiana
comparative:
Land total: 1,635 km
boundaries: border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi
Arabia 744 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
Coastline: 26 km
Maritime territorial sea: 3 nm
claims:
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
Elevation lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
extremes: highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m
Natural phosphates, potash, shale oil
resources:
Land use: arable land: 3.32%
permanent crops: 1.18%
other: 95.5% (2005)
Irrigated 750 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural droughts; periodic earthquakes
hazards:
Environment - limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation;
current overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
issues:
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
agreements: Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and
note: as the Arab country that shares the longest border with
Israel and the occupied West Bank
People
Population: 5,906,760 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 33.8% (male 1,018,070/female 976,442)
15-64 years: 62.4% (male 1,966,794/female 1,716,255)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 111,636/female 117,563)
(2006 est.)
Median age: total: 23 years
male: 23.7 years
female: 22.4 years (2006 est.)
Population 2.49% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 21.25 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 2.65 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 6.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.15 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 16.76 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 20.04 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 13.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 78.4 years
expectancy at male: 75.9 years
birth: female: 81.05 years (2006 est.)
Total 2.63 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 600 (2003 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - less than 500 (2003 est.)
deaths:
Nationality: noun: Jordanian(s)
adjective: Jordanian
Ethnic groups: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
Religions: Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek
Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian
Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and
Protestant denominations), other 2% (several small
Shi'a Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.)
Languages: Arabic (official), English widely understood among
upper and middle classes
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.3%
male: 95.9%
female: 86.3% (2003 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
conventional short form: Jordan
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah
local short form: Al Urdun
former: Transjordan
Government constitutional monarchy
type:
Capital: name: Amman
geographic coordinates: 31 57 N, 35 56 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Thursday in
March; ends last Friday in September
Administrative 12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah);
divisions: Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq,
'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an,
Madaba
Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under
British administration)
National Independence Day, 25 May (1946)
holiday:
Constitution: 1 January 1952; amended 1954, 1955, 1958, 1960, 1965,
1973, 1974, 1976, 1984
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February
branch: 1999); Prince HUSSEIN (born 1994), eldest son of King
ABDALLAH, is first in line to inherit the throne
head of government: Prime Minister Marouf al-BAKHIT
(since 24 November 2005); Deputy Prime Minister Ziad
FARIZ (since 24 November 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in
consultation with the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime
minister appointed by the monarch
Legislative bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists
branch: of the Senate, also called the House of Notables
(Majlis al-Ayan) (55 seats; members appointed by the
monarch from designated categories of public figures;
members serve four-year terms) and the House of
Representatives, also called the House of Deputies
(Majlis al-Nuwaab) (110 seats; members elected by
popular vote on the basis of proportional
representation to serve four-year terms); note - six
seats are reserved for women and are allocated by a
special electoral panel if no women are elected
elections: House of Representatives - last held 17 June
2003 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party - independents and other 89.6%, IAF
10.4%; seats by party - independents and other 92, IAF
18; note - one of the six quota seats was given to a
female IAF candidate
note: the House of Representatives has been convened
and dissolved by the monarch several times since 1974;
in November 1989, the first parliamentary elections in
22 years were held; political parties were not
legalized until 1992; King ABDALLAH delayed the 2001
elections until 2003
Judicial Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final
branch: appeal)
Political al-Ahd Party; Arab Islamic Democratic Movement [Yusuf
parties and ABU BAKR, president]; Arab Land Party [Dr. Ayishah
leaders: Salih HIJAZAYN, secretary general]; Arab Socialist
Ba'th Party [Taysir al-HIMSI, secretary general]; Ba'th
Arab Progressive Party [Fu'ad DABBUR, secretary
general]; Freedom Party; Future Party; Islamic Action
Front or IAF [Zaki Sa'ed BANI IRSHEID, secretary
general]; Islamic Center Party [Marwan al-FAURI,
secretary general]; Jordanian Arab Ansar Party;
Jordanian Arab New Dawn Party; Jordanian Arab Party;
Jordanian Citizens' Rights Movement; Jordanian
Communist Party [Munir HAMARINAH, secretary general];
Jordanian Communist Workers Party; Jordanian Democratic
Left Party [Musa MA'AYTEH, secretary general];
Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'id Dhiyab
Ali MUSTAFA, secretary general]; Jordanian Generations
Party [Muhammad KHALAYLEH, secretary general];
Jordanian Green Party [Muhammad BATAYNEH, secretary
general]; Jordanian Labor Party [Dr. Mazin Sulayman
Jiryis HANNA, secretary general]; Jordanian Peace
Party; Jordanian People's Committees Movement;
Jordanian People's Democratic Party (Hashd) [Ahmad
YUSUF, secretary general]; Jordanian Rafah Party;
Jordanian Renaissance Party; Mission Party; Nation
Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH, secretary general]; National
Action Party (Haqq) [Tariq al-KAYYALI, secretary
general]; National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi
MAJALI, secretary general]; National Popular Democratic
Movement [Mahmud al-NUWAYHI, secretary general];
Progressive Party [Fawwaz al-ZUBI, secretary general]
Political Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president
pressure vice chairman]; Jordanian Bar Association [Saleh
groups and ARMOUTI, president]; Jordanian Press Association [Sayf
leaders: al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim Brotherhood [Salem
AL-FALAHAT, secretary general]
International ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
organization ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
participation: ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS,
MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE
(partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Karim Tawfiq KAWAR
representation chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC
in the US: 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664
FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador David M. HALE
representation embassy: Abdoun, Amman
from the US: mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan;
Unit 70200, Box 5, APO AE 09892-0200
telephone: [962] (6) 590-6000
FAX: [962] (6) 592-0121
Flag three equal horizontal bands of black (top),
description: representing the Abbassid Caliphate, white,
representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and green,
representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles
triangle on the hoist side, representing the Great Arab
Revolt of 1916, and bearing a small white seven-pointed
star symbolizing the seven verses of the opening Sura
(Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven points on the
star represent faith in One God, humanity, national
spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and
aspirations; design is based on the Arab Revolt flag of
World War I
Economy
Economy - Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate supplies
overview: of water and other natural resources such as oil. Debt,
poverty, and unemployment are fundamental problems, but
King ABDALLAH, since assuming the throne in 1999, has
undertaken some broad economic reforms in a long-term
effort to improve living standards. 'Amman in the past
three years has worked closely with the IMF, practiced
careful monetary policy, and made substantial headway
with privatization. The government also has liberalized
the trade regime sufficiently to secure Jordan's
membership in the WTO (2000), a free trade accord with
the US (2001), and an association agreement with the EU
(2001). These measures have helped improve productivity
and have put Jordan on the foreign investment map.
Jordan imported most of its oil from Iraq, but the
US-led war in Iraq in 2003 made Jordan more dependent
on oil from other Gulf nations, forcing the Jordanian
Government to raise retail petroleum product prices and
the sales tax base. Jordan's export market, which is
heavily dependent on exports to Iraq, was also affected
by the war but recovered quickly while contributing to
the Iraq recovery effort. The main challenges facing
Jordan are reducing dependence on foreign grants,
reducing the budget deficit, and creating investment
incentives to promote job creation.
GDP $26.85 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $11.51 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 5.8% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $4,700 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 3.3%
composition by industry: 28.7%
sector: services: 68% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 1.46 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - agriculture: 5%
by occupation: industry: 12.5%
services: 82.5% (2001 est.)
Unemployment 12.5% official rate; unofficial rate is approximately
rate: 30% (2004 est.)
Population 30% (2001 est.)
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: 3.3%
income or highest 10%: 29.8% (1997)
consumption by
percentage
share:
Distribution 36.4 (1997)
of family
income - Gini
index:
Inflation rate 4.5% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 20.2% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $2.8 billion
expenditures: $4.688 billion; including capital
expenditures of $1.092 billion (2005 est.)
Public debt: 79.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep,
products: goats, poultry
Industries: textiles, phosphate mining, fertilizers,
pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, potash,
inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing, tourism
Industrial 7.5% (2005 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 7.517 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 99.4%
production by hydro: 0.6%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 7.959 billion kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 4 million kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 972 million kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 40 bbl/day (2004 est.)
production:
Oil - 103,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - imports: 100,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - proved 445,000 bbl (1 January 2002)
reserves:
Natural gas - 390 million cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 390 million cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2001 est.)
exports:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2001 est.)
imports:
Natural gas - 6.23 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
proved
reserves:
Current $-1.613 billion (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $4.226 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - clothing, phosphates, fertilizers, potash, vegetables,
commodities: manufactures, pharmaceuticals
Exports - US 29.4%, Iraq 15.6%, India 8.8%, Saudi Arabia 5.9%
partners: (2005)
Imports: $8.681 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - crude oil, textile fabrics, machinery, transport
commodities: equipment, manufactured goods
Imports - Saudi Arabia 20.9%, China 8%, Germany 7.1%, US 6.2%,
partners: South Korea 4.1% (2005)
Reserves of $5.463 billion (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $8.528 billion (2005 est.)
external:
Economic aid - ODA, $500 million (2004 est.)
recipient:
Currency Jordanian dinar (JOD)
(code):
Currency code: JOD
Exchange Jordanian dinars per US dollar - 0.709 (2005), 0.709
rates: (2004), 0.709 (2003), 0.709 (2002), 0.709 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 617,300 (2004)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 1,594,500 (2004)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: service has improved recently with
system: increased use of digital switching equipment, but
better access to the telephone system is needed in the
rural areas and easier access to pay telephones is
needed by the urban public
domestic: microwave radio relay transmission and
coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk
lines; considerable use of mobile cellular systems;
Internet service is available
international: country code - 962; satellite earth
stations - 3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and
maritime Inmarsat terminals; fiber-optic cable to Saudi
Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and
Syria; connection to international submarine cable FLAG
(Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); participant in
MEDARABTEL; international links total about 4,000
Radio AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 1.66 million (1997)
Television 20 (plus 96 repeaters) (1995)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 500,000 (1997)
Internet .jo
country code:
Internet 3,441 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 5 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 629,500 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 17 (2006)
Airports - total: 15
with paved over 3,047 m: 7
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - total: 2
with unpaved under 914 m: 2 (2006)
runways:
Heliports: 1 (2006)
Pipelines: gas 426 km; oil 49 km (2006)
Railways: total: 505 km
narrow gauge: 505 km 1.050-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 7,364 km
paved: 7,364 km (2003)
Merchant total: 25 ships (1000 GRT or over) 346,698 GRT/501,060
marine: DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 9, container 2,
passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off
4
foreign-owned: 11 (UAE 11)
registered in other countries: 15 (Bahamas 2, Panama
13) (2006)
Ports and Al 'Aqabah
terminals:
Military
Military Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Land
branches: Force, Royal Jordanian Navy, Royal Jordanian Air Force
(Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Malakiya al-Urduniya), Special
Operations Command (Socom); Public Security Directorate
(normally falls under Ministry of Interior, but comes
under JAF in wartime or crisis situations) (2006)
Military 17 years of age for voluntary military service;
service age conscription at age 18 was suspended in 1999, although
and all males under age 37 are required to register; women
obligation: not subject to conscription, but can volunteer to serve
in non-combat military positions (2004)
Manpower males age 17-49: 1,573,995
available for females age 17-49: 1,346,642 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 17-49: 1,348,076
for military females age 17-49: 1,158,011 (2005 est.)
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 60,625
reaching females age 17-49: 58,218 (2005 est.)
military
service age
annually:
Military $1.4 billion (2005 est.)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 11.4% (2005 est.)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - 2004 Agreement settles border dispute with Syria
international: pending demarcation
Refugees and refugees (country of origin): 1,827,877 (Palestinian
internally Refugees (UNRWA))
displaced IDPs: 168,000 (1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2005)
persons: