• Highlights/photos
• Safety/Security
• Language/Phrases
• Best Times to Go
• Great Itineraries
• How to Get There
• Transportation/Tours
• Where to Go/Sites
• Hotels/Resorts
• Shopping Treasures
• Dining/Entertainment
• Recommended Resources
• Estimated Costs
• Questions/Answers
• Jordan in Brief

15. Jordan in brief

Archeology: Petra, Jerash, Amman, Pella, Umm Qays, Karak

Airlines (national): Royal Jordanian Airlines (www.rj.com)

Airports (domestic): Amman, Aqaba, Marka

Airports (international): Amman and Aqaba

Amman sites (major): The Citadel (Umayyad Palace, Temple of Hercules, Byzantine Church), Roman Theater, Roman Forum, Nymphaeum, Grand Husseini Mosque

Area: 93,300 square kilometers or 36,000 square miles (about the size of Portugal or Indiana). Some records put it at 89,213 square kilometers.

Ballooning: Wadi Rum

Border crossings: 9

Borders: 1,619 kilometers

Camel Trekking: Wadi Rum

Camping: Wadi Rum and nature reserves (Dana, Wadi Mujib, Ajloun)

Capital: Amman

Cities (ancient): Petra, Jerash, Amman, and Pella

Cities (major): Amman (1.4 million), Az Zarqa (450,000), Irbid (250,000), Aqaba (90,000)

Climate: Semi-arid desert climate. Warm days and cool evenings from May to early November; cool, rainy (some snow in north) from late November to early April. Hot and dry summers. Cold and windy winters.

Coastline: 26 kilometers (Gulf of Aqaba/Red Sea)

Country: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Crafts: Ceramics, Dead Sea products, embroidery, handmade glass, jewelry, pottery, sand bottles, weaving/textiles

Crime: Negligible

Currency: Dinar or JD (divided into 100 piastres and 1,000 fils). JD1 = US$1.40

Departure Tax (airport): JD20 (US$28) is now included in all airline tickets.

Desert castles: Qasr al-Hallabat, Azraq Oasis, Qasr al-Azraq, Qusayr 'Amra, Qasr al-Harraneh, Qasr al-Mushatta, Qastal (all located east of Amman), Karak

Ecological footprint: 1.8 people per hectare

Economy: Lower middle income country with per capita income of $2,500; few natural resources, little industry, high unemployment, burdened with refugees from Palestine and Iraq, and heavily dependent on foreign aid (mainly from oil-rich Arab countries). Economy also depends on exports of phosphates and agricultural products as well as tourism, expatriate income, and remittances from nationals living abroad. Annual budget around $5 billion.

Electricity: 220 volts, AC 50 cycle, round two-prong plug/socket. Some three-prong sockets. Most hotels provide transformers upon request.

Entrance fees: Vary from free to nominal to substantial in Petra (US32-43)

Exports (principal): Phosphates, potash, fertilizers, agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, transportation equipment (total value of $5 billion).

Festivals: Jerash and Amman

Food: Arabic and Western

Geography: Arid desert plateau, highlands, Dead Sea, Great Rift Valley

Government (national): Constitutional monarchy with King, Prime Minister, Cabinet, and parliament (elected lower house and appointed upper house)

Government (local): 12 administrative districts called Governorates, which are headed by governors appointed by the monarch.

Guest workers: 300,000 (majority from Egypt)

Health care system: One of best in the region

Highway (main): The King’s Highway

History: Nabateans, Greece, Rome, Persia, Islam, Crusades, Ottoman Empire, Transjordan, Arab Revolt, Palestine, Arab-Israeli War, West Bank, Gulf Crisis

Holiday (weekly): Friday

Holy Land: River Jordan, Mount Nebo, Madaba, Dead Sea, Bethany

Horse riding: Wadi Rum and Petra

Hours (banks): Sunday through Thursday, 8:30 AM to 3 PM.

Hours (shops): Vary, but usually Saturday through Thursday, 9 or 10 AM to 5-10 PM.

Internet: Available in major hotels and Internet cafes.

Islam: Over 95% of Jordanians are Muslim. See Queen Rania's personal perspective on the human side of Islam in Jordan: www.queenrania.jo. For more on her perspective, click here.

Judicial system: Operates both civil and religious (Sharia) court systems. Also, tribal courts.

King: His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein (www.kingabdullah.jo). Ascended the throne on February 7, 1999, after death of His Majesty King Hussein who rules for 47 years.

Labor force: 1.2 million + 300,000 foreign workers

Land: Only 4% of land is arable. Most is uninhabited desert.

Language: Arabic; English widely spoken

Life expectancy: 70 for men and 73 for women

Literacy: 92 percent

Military: About 100,000 (85,000 in army and 15,000 in air force)

Money changing: Banks, money changers, hotels

Museums (major): Jordan Archeological Museum, Mosaic Gallery, Folklore Museum - all located in Amman.

Natural resources: Few - primarily phosphates and potash

Nature reserves: Dana Nature Reserve, Azraq Wetland Reserve, Shawmari Wildlife Reserve, Mujib Nature Reserve

Neighbors: Palestine, Israel, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia

Newspapers (English): The Jordan Times (daily) and The Star (weekly)

Oil: Imports all. Produces none.

People: Arab (primarily Palestinians and Bedouins); 66 people per square kilometer (170 per square mile)

Population: 6 million (estimate for 2007)

Population (age): 43%, 0-14 years; 54%, 15-64 years; 3%, 65+ years

Population (growth): 2.54%

Population (urban): 82%

Queen: Her Majesty Queen Rania (www.queenrania.jo)

Railway: Hejaz Railway (connects Damascus with Amman and beyond)

Roads: Nearly 8,000 kilometers - mostly paved

Religion: Islam (Sunni Muslims are vast majority; Shia are small minority. Christians are four percent of population

Ramadan: Holy month of fasting - dates vary with Islamic lunar calender

Resorts: Dead Sea and Aqaba

Rock-Climbing: Wadi Rum

Safety/security: Very high

Scuba diving: Aqaba/Red Sea

Seas: Red Sea and the Dead Sea. Jordan, with a joint treaty with Israel, gets freshwater from the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias), an Israeli possession

Shopping centers: Mecca Mall, Abdoun Mall, Amman Mall, Zara Shopping Center - all in Amman

Shopping cities: Amman, Petra, and Aqaba

Shopping products: Gold and silver, traditional crafts, art

Sky diving: Wadi Rum

Taxes: 17 percent on many goods and services.

Telephone code: 962 (country code for Jordan); 06 (area code for Amman)

Time: October - March, G.M.T. + 2 hours; April - September, G.M.T. + 3 hours. Seven hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.

Tipping: 10-12 percent (10 percent often included in your bill)

Tourism: Contributes 10-12 percent to Jordan’s GDP. Increasingly 20-plus percent each year.

Tourists: Approximately 3 million annually generating $1.5 million in income

Tourist information: www.tourism.jo, www.visitjordan.com, and www.seejordan.org

Tourist sites: Petra, Jerash, Amman, Dead Sea, Wadi Rum, Aqaba

Transportation: Rental cars, taxis, serveeces (service taxis), buses

Trekking: Wadi Rum, nature reserves (Dana, Wadi Mujib, and Ajloun), and elsewhere.

Ultra gliding: Wadi Rum

Universities: Several. Two major ones are University of Jordan (in Amman) and Yarmouk University (in Irbid)

Unemployment: High - 20-25%

Vaccinations: Not required. Recommended for hepatitis, typhoid, polio, tetanus, and diptheria.

Visas: Required. Issued upon arrival for many nationalities. JD10 (US$14)

Go to Jordan home page  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14