Jordan (2001) | Jersey (2007) | |
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Administrative divisions | 12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba | none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 12 parishes including Grouville, Saint Brelade, Saint Clement, Saint Helier, Saint John, Saint Lawrence, Saint Martin, Saint Mary, Saint Quen, Saint Peter, Saint Saviour, and Trinity |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
37.23% (male 980,345; female 938,081) 15-64 years: 59.44% (male 1,633,579; female 1,429,631) 65 years and over: 3.33% (male 84,815; female 86,927) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 16.9% (male 8,003/female 7,428)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 30,586/female 30,853) 65 years and over: 15.8% (male 6,388/female 8,063) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats, poultry | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products |
Airports | 18 (2000 est.) | 1 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
15 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
3 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
- |
Area | total:
92,300 sq km land: 91,971 sq km water: 329 sq km |
total: 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Indiana | about two-thirds the size of Washington, DC |
Background | For most of its history since independence from British administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN (1953-1999). A pragmatic ruler, he successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, through several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he resumed parliamentary elections and gradually permitted political liberalization; in 1994 a formal peace treaty was signed with Israel. King ABDALLAH II - the eldest son of King HUSSEIN and Princess MUNA - assumed the throne following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power and established his domestic priorities. | Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. Jersey is a British crown dependency, but is not part of the UK. However, the UK Government is constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation. |
Birth rate | 25.44 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 9.02 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$2.8 billion expenditures: $3.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $829 million
expenditures: $851 million (2005) |
Capital | Amman | name: Saint Helier
geographic coordinates: 49 11 N, 2 06 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Climate | mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April) | temperate; mild winters and cool summers |
Coastline | 26 km | 70 km |
Constitution | 8 January 1952 | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
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 |
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey |
Currency | Jordanian dinar (JOD) | - |
Death rate | 2.62 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 9.32 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $8 billion (2000 est.) | $NA |
Dependency status | - | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador William J. BURNS embassy: Abdoum, Amman mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; APO AE 09892-0200 telephone: [962] (6) 5920101 FAX: [962] (6) 5920121 |
none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Marwan Jamil MUASHER chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664 FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110 |
none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | ODA, $850 million (1996 est.) | - |
Economy - overview | Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil. The Persian Gulf crisis, which began in August 1990, aggravated Jordan's already serious economic problems, forcing the government to stop most debt payments and suspend rescheduling negotiations. Aid from Gulf Arab states, worker remittances, and trade revenues contracted. Refugees flooded the country, producing serious balance-of-payments problems, stunting GDP growth, and straining government resources. The economy rebounded in 1992, largely due to the influx of capital repatriated by workers returning from the Gulf. After averaging 9% in 1992-95, GDP growth averaged only 1.5% during 1996-99. In an attempt to spur growth, King ABDALLAH has undertaken limited economic reform, including partial privatization of some state-owned enterprises and Jordan's entry in January 2000 into the World Trade Organization (WTrO). Debt, poverty, and unemployment are fundamental ongoing economic problems. | Jersey's economy is based on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. In 2005 the finance sector accounted for about 50% of the island's output. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. Tourism accounts for one-quarter of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. Living standards come close to those of the UK. |
Electricity - consumption | 6.594 billion kWh (1999) | 630.1 million kWh (2004 est.) |
Electricity - exports | 4 million kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - imports | 407 million kWh (1999) | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France |
Electricity - production | 6.657 billion kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
99.79% hydro: 0.21% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 m |
Environment - current issues | limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
- |
Ethnic groups | Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1% | Jersey 51.1%, Britons 34.8%, Irish, French, and other white 6.6%, Portuguese/Madeiran 6.4%, other 1.1% (2001 census) |
Exchange rates | Jordanian dinars per US dollar - 0.7090 (1996-present )
note: since May 1989, the Jordanian dinar has been pegged to a group of currencies |
Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002)
note: the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound |
Executive branch | chief of state:
King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Crown Prince HAMZAH (half brother of the monarch, born 29 March 1980) head of government: Prime Minister Ali Abul RAGHEB (since 19 June 2000) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Lieutenant Governor Andrew RIDGEWAY (since 14 June 2006)
head of government: Chief Minister Frank WALKER (since December 2005); Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since February 1995) cabinet: Cabinet (since December 2005) elections: ministers of the Cabinet including the chief minister are elected by the Assembly of States; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
Exports | $2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | phosphates, fertilizers, potash, agricultural products, manufactures | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles |
Exports - partners | India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, EU, Indonesia, UAE, Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, Ethiopia | UK (2006) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of black (top, the Abbassid Caliphate of Islam), white (the Ummayyad Caliphate of Islam), and green (the Fatimid Caliphate of Islam) with a red isosceles triangle (representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916) based on the hoist side 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 | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag; in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield with the three lions of England in yellow |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $17.3 billion (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
3% industry: 25% services: 72% (1998 est.) |
agriculture: 1%
industry: 2% services: 97% (2005) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $3,500 (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 2% (2000 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 31 00 N, 36 00 E | 49 15 N, 2 10 W |
Geography - note | - | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier |
Heliports | 1 (2000 est.) | - |
Highways | total:
8,000 km paved: 8,000 km unpaved: 0 km (2000 est.) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
2.4% highest 10%: 34.7% (1991) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, food, live animals, manufactured goods | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals |
Imports - partners | Iraq, Germany, US, Japan, UK, Italy, Turkey, Malaysia, Syria, China | UK (2006) |
Independence | 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | 3.8% (2000 est.) | NA% |
Industries | phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash, light manufacturing, tourism | tourism, banking and finance, dairy, electronics |
Infant mortality rate | 20.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 5.08 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 0.7% (2000 est.) | 3.7% (December 2006) |
International organization participation | ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | - |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 5 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 630 sq km (1993 est.) | NA |
Judicial branch | Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal) | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) |
Labor force | 1.15 million
note: in addition, at least 300,000 workers are employed abroad (1997 est.) |
53,560 (June 2006) |
Labor force - by occupation | industry 11.4%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 10.5%, construction 10%, transport and communications 8.7%, agriculture 7.4%, other services 52% (1992) | - |
Land boundaries | total:
1,619 km border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 728 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land:
4% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 9% forests and woodland: 1% other: 85% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
Languages | Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes | English 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census) |
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 | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and local statutes; justice is administered by the Royal Court |
Legislative branch | bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate (a 40-member body appointed by the monarch from designated categories of public figures; members serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (80 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 4 November 1997 (next to be held NA November 2001) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - National Constitutional Party 2, Arab Land Party 1, independents 75, other 2 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 |
unicameral Assembly of the States of Jersey (58 seats; 55 are voting members, of which 12 are senators elected for six-year terms, 12 are constables or heads of parishes elected for three-year terms, 29 are deputies elected for three-year terms, the bailiff and the deputy bailiff, and 3 non-voting members includes the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General appointed by the monarch)
elections: last held 19 October 2005 for senators and 23 November 2005 for deputies (next to be held in 2008) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 55 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
77.53 years male: 75.1 years female: 80.12 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 79.51 years
male: 77.02 years female: 82.2 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.6% male: 93.4% female: 79.4% (1995 est.) |
definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France |
Map references | Middle East | Europe |
Maritime claims | territorial sea:
3 NM |
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
Merchant marine | total:
6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 40,919 GRT/57,777 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 3, container 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.) |
- |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF; includes Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal Naval Force, and Royal Jordanian Air Force); Ministry of the Interior's Public Security Force (falls under JAF only in wartime or crisis situations) | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $608.9 million (FY98/99) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 7.8% (FY98/99) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
1,458,571 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
1,034,109 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
57,131 (2001 est.) |
- |
National holiday | Independence Day, 25 May (1946) | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) |
Nationality | noun:
Jordanian(s) adjective: Jordanian |
noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
Natural hazards | droughts | NA |
Natural resources | phosphates, potash, shale oil | arable land |
Net migration rate | 7.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 2.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 209 km; note - may not be in use | - |
Political parties and leaders | Al-Umma (Nation) Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH, secretary general]; Arab Land Party [Dr. Muhammad al-'ORAN, secretary general]; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'eed THIYAB, secretary general]; National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi MAJALI, secretary general] | two declared parties: Centre Party; Jersey Democratic Alliance
note: all senators and deputies elected in 2005 were independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Council of Professional Association Presidents [Ahmad al-QADIRI, chairman]; Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim Brotherhood [Abd-al-Majid DHUNAYBAT, secretary general] | none |
Population | 5,153,378 (July 2001 est.) | 91,321 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 30% (1998 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 3% (2001 est.) | 0.244% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Al 'Aqabah | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999) | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 1.66 million (1997) | - |
Railways | total:
677 km narrow gauge: 677 km 1.050-m gauge (2000) |
- |
Religions | Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek Catholics, Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several small Shi'a Muslim and Druze populations) (2000 est.) | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.077 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.991 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.792 male(s)/female total population: 0.971 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | 20 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
service has improved recently with the 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 is made of mobile cellular systems; Internet service is available international: 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 |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: submarine cable connectivity to Guernsey and UK |
Telephones - main lines in use | 403,000 (1997) | 73,900 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 11,500 (1995) | 83,900 (2004) |
Television broadcast stations | 20 (plus 96 repeaters) (1995) | 2 (1997) |
Terrain | mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast |
Total fertility rate | 3.29 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.58 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 15% official rate; actual rate is 25%-30% (1999 est.) | 2.2% (2006 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |