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Compare Western Sahara (2005) - Jordan (2005)

Compare Western Sahara (2005) z Jordan (2005)

 Western Sahara (2005)Jordan (2005)
 Western SaharaJordan
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba
Age structure 0-14 years: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA
0-14 years: 34.5% (male 1,015,084/female 973,220)


15-64 years: 61.7% (male 1,897,643/female 1,656,570)


65 years and over: 3.8% (male 106,168/female 111,047) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats, poultry
Airports 11 (2004 est.) 17 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.)
total: 15


over 3,047 m: 7


2,438 to 3,047 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
total: 2


under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 92,300 sq km


land: 91,971 sq km


water: 329 sq km
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado slightly smaller than Indiana
Background 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. For most of its history since independence from British administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN (1953-99). 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, despite several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he reinstituted parliamentary elections and gradual political liberalization; in 1994 he signed a formal peace treaty 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 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 and government appointed in April 2005 declared they would build upon the previous government's achievements to respect political and human rights and improve living standards.
Birth rate NA births/1,000 population 21.76 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: NA


expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
revenues: $3.483 billion


expenditures: $3.616 billion, including capital expenditures of $782 million (2004 est.)
Capital none 'Amman
Climate hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)
Coastline 1,110 km 26 km
Constitution - 1 January 1952; amended 1974, 1976, 1984
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
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
Death rate NA deaths/1,000 population 2.63 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external NA $7.32 billion (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires 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) 592-0101


FAX: [962] (6) 592-4102
Diplomatic representation in the US none chief of mission: Ambassador Karim Tawfiq KAWAR


chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664


FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110
Disputes - international 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 2004 Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pending demarcation
Economic aid - recipient NA ODA, $500 million (2004 est.)
Economy - overview 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. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate supplies 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.
Electricity - consumption 83.7 million kWh (2002) 7.094 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 2 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 300 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 90 million kWh (2002) 7.307 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m


highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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
Ethnic groups Arab, Berber Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.6256 (2000) Jordanian dinars per US dollar - 0.709 (2004), 0.709 (2003), 0.709 (2002), 0.709 (2001), 0.709 (2000)
Executive branch none chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Prince HUSSEIN (born 1994), son of King ABDALLAH, is first in line to inherit the throne


head of government: Prime Minister Adnan BADRAN (since 7 April 2005); Deputy Prime Ministers Marwan al-MUASHER and Hisham al-TEL (since 3 July 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
Exports NA 0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% clothing, phosphates, fertilizers, potash, vegetables, manufactures, pharmaceuticals
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts US 28.9%, Iraq 17.6%, India 7.1%, Saudi Arabia 5.6% (2004)
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: NA


industry: NA


services: 40% (1996 est.)
agriculture: 2.4%


industry: 26%


services: 71.5% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - NA purchasing power parity - $4,500 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA 5.1% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 31 00 N, 36 00 E
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas 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
Heliports - 1 (2004 est.)
Highways total: 6,200 km


paved: 1,350 km


unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est)
total: 7,301 km


paved: 7,301 km


unpaved: 0 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 3.3%


highest 10%: 29.8% (1997)
Imports NA 100,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs crude oil, textile fabrics, machinery, transport equipment, manufactured goods
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts Saudi Arabia 19.8%, China 8.4%, Germany 6.8%, US 6.8% (2004)
Independence - 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
Industrial production growth rate NA 5% (2004 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts phosphate mining, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, potash, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing, tourism
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total: 17.35 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 20.75 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 13.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA 3.2% (2004 est.)
International organization participation none ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land NA sq km 750 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch - Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal)
Labor force 12,000 1.41 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% agriculture 5%, industry 12.5%, services 82.5% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
total: 1,635 km


border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 744 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
Land use arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2001)
arable land: 2.67%


permanent crops: 1.83%


other: 95.5% (2001)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes
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 (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 NA 2007)


election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - independents and others 89.6%, Islamic Action Front (IAF) 10.4%; seats by party - independents and others 92, Islamic Action Front 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
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA years


male: NA years


female: NA years
total population: 78.24 years


male: 75.75 years


female: 80.88 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA%


male: NA%


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


total population: 91.3%


male: 95.9%


female: 86.3% (2003 est.)
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia
Map references Africa Middle East
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue territorial sea: 3 nm
Merchant marine - total: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 78,814 GRT/92,695 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 7, container 2, passenger/cargo 5, roll on/roll off 4


foreign-owned: 12 (Greece 3, UAE 9)


registered in other countries: 14 (2005)
Military branches - Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal Jordanian Navy, Royal Jordanian Air Force, and Special Operations Command (SOCOM); note - Public Security Directorate normally falls under Ministry of Interior but comes under JAF in wartime or crisis situations
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $1.46 billion (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 14.6% (2004)
National holiday - Independence Day, 25 May (1946)
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
noun: Jordanian(s)


adjective: Jordanian
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility droughts; periodic earthquakes
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore phosphates, potash, shale oil
Net migration rate - 6.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - gas 10 km; oil 743 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders - Al-Ajyal [Muhammad KHALAYLEH, secretary general]; Al-Umma (Nation) Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH, secretary general]; Arab Land Party [Dr. Ayishah Salih HIJAZAYN, secretary general]; Ba'th Arab Progressive Party [Fu'ad DABBUR, secretary general]; Communist Party [Munir HAMARINAH, secretary general]; Constitutional National Party [Ahmad al-SHUNNAQ, secretary general; Democratic Arab Islamic Movement [Yusuf ABU BAKR, president]; Green Party [Muhammad BATAYNEH, secretary general]; Islamic Action Front [Hazma MANSOUR, secretary general]; Islamic al-Walsat Party [Marwan al-FAURI], secretary general; Jordanian Democratic Left Party [Musa MA'AYTEH, secretary general]; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'id Dhiyab Ali MUSTAFA, secretary general]; Jordanian People's Democratic (Hashd) Party [Ahmad YUSUF, secretary general]; Jordanian Progressive Party [Fawwaz al-ZUBI, secretary general]; Labor Party [Dr. Mazin Sulayman Jiryis HANNA, secretary general]; Muslim Centrist Party [leader NA]; National Action (Haqq) Party [Tariq al-KAYYALI, secretary general]; National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi MAJALI, secretary general]; National Movement for Direct Democracy [Mahmud al-NUWAYHI, secretary general]; Pan-Arab (Democratic) Movement [Mahmud al-NUWAYHI, secretary general]; (Arab) Socialist Ba'th Party [Taysir al-HIMSI, secretary general]
Political pressure groups and leaders none Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president vice chairman]; Jordanian Bar Association [Saleh ARMOUTI, president]; Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim Brotherhood [Abd-al-Majid DHUNAYBAT, secretary general]
Population 273,008 (July 2005 est.) 5,759,732 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line NA 30% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate NA 2.56% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) Al 'Aqabah
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999)
Railways - total: 505 km


narrow gauge: 505 km 1.050-m gauge (2004)
Religions Muslim 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.)
Sex ratio NA 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: 0.96 male(s)/female


total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system 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
general assessment: service has improved recently with 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
Telephones - main lines in use about 2,000 (1999 est.) 622,600 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 1,325,300 (2003)
Television broadcast stations NA 20 (plus 96 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
Total fertility rate NA children born/woman 2.71 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 15% official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30% (2004 est.)
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