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Compare Jordan (2007) - Western Sahara (2008)

Compare Jordan (2007) z Western Sahara (2008)

 Jordan (2007)Western Sahara (2008)
 JordanWestern Sahara
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 (under de facto control of Morocco)
Age structure 0-14 years: 33% (male 1,018,934/female 977,645)


15-64 years: 63% (male 2,037,550/female 1,777,361)


65 years and over: 4% (male 117,279/female 124,424) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)


15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products citrus, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives; sheep, poultry, stone fruits, strawberries, dairy fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
Airports 17 (2007) 9 (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 (2007)
total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 2


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
total: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Area total: 92,300 sq km


land: 91,971 sq km


water: 329 sq km
total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Indiana about the size of Colorado
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 November 2005 stated the government would focus on political reforms, improving conditions for the poor, and fighting corruption. Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since August 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met three times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, with a fourth round of negotiations planned for March 2008.
Birth rate 20.69 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) NA 39.95 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $4.463 billion


expenditures: $5.491 billion (2006 est.)
revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
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
none


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April) hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Coastline 26 km 1,110 km
Constitution 1 January 1952; amended many times -
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: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
Death rate 2.68 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) NA
Debt - external $7.628 billion (2006 est.) $NA
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador David M. HALE


embassy: Abdoun, Amman


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
none
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador ZEID Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein, Prince


chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664


FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110
none
Disputes - international approximately two million Iraqis have fled the conflict in Iraq, with the majority taking refuge in Syria and Jordan; 2004 Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pending demarcation Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria
Economic aid - recipient ODA, $752 million (2005 est.) $NA
Economy - overview Jordan is a small Arab country with insufficient supplies of water, oil, and other natural resources. Poverty, unemployment, and inflation 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. Since Jordan's graduation from its most recent IMF program in 2002, Amman has continued to follow IMF guidelines, practicing careful monetary policy, and making substantial headway with privatization. In 2006, Jordan reduced its debt to GDP ratio significantly. 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, and has forced 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 attracting investment to promote job creation. Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara.
Electricity - consumption 8.49 billion kWh (2005) 79.05 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 4 million kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 741 million kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 9.074 billion kWh (2005) 85 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m


highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
Environment - current issues limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification sparse water and lack of arable land
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1% Arab, Berber
Exchange rates Jordanian dinars per US dollar - 0.709 (2006), 0.709 (2005), 0.709 (2004), 0.709 (2003), 0.709 (2002) Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.2827 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Prince HUSSEIN (born 1994), eldest son of King ABDALLAH, is first in line to inherit the throne


head of government: Prime Minister Nadir al-DAHABI (since 22 November 2007); 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
none
Exports 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) 0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities clothing, pharmaceuticals, potash, phosphates, fertilizers, vegetables, manufactures phosphates 62%
Exports - partners US 25.2%, Iraq 16.9%, India 8%, Saudi Arabia 5.8%, Syria 4.7% (2006) Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of black (top), 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 -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3.9%


industry: 10.3%


services: 85.8% (2006 est.)
agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%
GDP - real growth rate 6.4% (2006 est.) NA%
Geographic coordinates 31 00 N, 36 00 E 24 30 N, 13 00 W
Geography - note strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and as the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the occupied West Bank the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
Heliports 1 (2007) -
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.7%


highest 10%: 30.6% (2003)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Imports 106,400 bbl/day (2004 est.) 1,698 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities crude oil, textile fabrics, machinery, transport equipment, manufactured goods fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Imports - partners Saudi Arabia 23.2%, Germany 8.2%, China 8%, US 5.3% (2006) Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)
Independence 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration) -
Industrial production growth rate 4.6% (2006 est.) NA%
Industries clothing, phosphate mining, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, potash, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing, tourism phosphate mining, handicrafts
Infant mortality rate total: 16.16 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 19.33 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 12.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 6.2% (2006 est.) NA%
International organization participation ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO none
Irrigated land 750 sq km (2003) NA
Judicial branch Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal) -
Labor force 1.512 million (2006 est.) 12,000
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 5%


industry: 12.5%


services: 82.5% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 50%


industry and services: 50%
Land boundaries total: 1,635 km


border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 744 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Land use arable land: 3.32%


permanent crops: 1.18%


other: 95.5% (2005)
arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2005)
Languages Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
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 -
Legislative branch bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate, also called the House of Notables or Majlis al-Ayan (55 seats; members appointed by the monarch from designated categories of public figures to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies, also called the House of Representatives or Majlis al-Nuwaab (110 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms; note - 6 seats are reserved for women and are allocated by a special electoral panel if no women are elected)


elections: Chamber of Deputies - last held 20 November 2007 (next to be held in 2011)


election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independents 104, IAF 6
-
Life expectancy at birth total population: 78.55 years


male: 76.04 years


female: 81.22 years (2007 est.)
total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 89.9%


male: 95.1%


female: 84.7% (2003 est.)
NA
Location Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Map references Middle East Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 3 nm contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
Merchant marine total: 30 ships (1000 GRT or over) 410,472 GRT/564,643 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 11, container 3, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 4


foreign-owned: 15 (UAE 15)


registered in other countries: 15 (Bahamas 2, Panama 11, Syria 2) (2007)
-
Military branches Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Land 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 expenditures - percent of GDP 8.6% (2006) -
National holiday Independence Day, 25 May (1946) -
Nationality noun: Jordanian(s)


adjective: Jordanian
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Natural hazards droughts; periodic earthquakes hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
Natural resources phosphates, potash, shale oil phosphates, iron ore
Net migration rate 6.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -
Pipelines gas 426 km; oil 49 km (2006) -
Political parties and leaders al-Ahd Party; Arab Islamic Democratic Movement [Yusuf ABU BAKR]; Arab Land Party [Dr. Ayishah Salih HIJAZAYN]; Arab Socialist Ba'th Party [Taysir al-HIMSI]; Ba'th Arab Progressive Party [Fu'ad DABBUR]; Freedom Party; Future Party; Islamic Action Front or IAF [Zaki Sa'ed BANI IRSHEID]; Islamic Center Party [Marwan al-FAURI]; Jordanian Arab Ansar Party; Jordanian Arab New Dawn Party; Jordanian Arab Party; Jordanian Citizens' Rights Movement; Jordanian Communist Party [Munir HAMARINAH]; Jordanian Communist Workers Party; Jordanian Democratic Left Party [Musa MA'AYTEH]; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'id Dhiyab Ali MUSTAFA]; Jordanian Generations Party [Muhammad KHALAYLEH]; Jordanian Green Party [Muhammad BATAYNEH]; Jordanian Labor Party [Dr. Mazin Sulayman Jiryis HANNA]; Jordanian Peace Party; Jordanian People's Committees Movement; Jordanian People's Democratic Party (Hashd) [Ahmad YUSUF]; Jordanian Rafah Party; Jordanian Renaissance Party; Mission Party; Nation Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH]; National Action Party (Haqq) [Tariq al-KAYYALI]; National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi MAJALI]; National Popular Democratic Movement [Mahmud al-NUWAYHI]; Progressive Party [Fawwaz al-ZUBI] -
Political pressure groups and leaders Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president vice chairman]; Jordan Bar Association [Hussein Mujalli, chairman]; Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim Brotherhood [Salem AL-FALAHAT, controller general] none
Population 6,053,193 (July 2007 est.) 382,617


note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 14.2% (2002) NA%
Population growth rate 2.412% (2007 est.) NA
Radio broadcast stations AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999) AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways total: 505 km


narrow gauge: 505 km 1.050-m gauge (2006)
-
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.) Muslim
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.042 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.146 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.943 male(s)/female


total population: 1.102 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
NA
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed
Telephone system general assessment: service has improved recently with increased use of digital switching equipment; microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; better access to the fixed-line telephone system is needed in the rural areas and easier access to pay telephones is needed by the urban public


domestic: 1995 telecommunications law opened all non-fixed-line services to private competition; in 2005, monopoly over fixed-line services terminated and the entire telecommunications sector was opened to competition; mobile-cellular usage is increasing rapidly and teledensity is approaching 75 per 100 persons


international: country code - 962; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe; 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; participant in Medarabtel
general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
Telephones - main lines in use 614,000 (2006) about 2,000 (1999 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular 4.343 million (2006) 0 (1999)
Television broadcast stations 20 (plus 96 repeaters) (1995) NA
Terrain mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Total fertility rate 2.55 children born/woman (2007 est.) NA
Unemployment rate 15.4% official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30% (2006 est.) NA%
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