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JORDAN COUNTRY PROFILE

Published
19 April 2023

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The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a small country with few natural resources,
but it has played a pivotal role in the struggle for power in the Middle East.
It is a key ally of the United States.

After the Arab revolt against the Ottomans in 1916 during World War One, the
region was partitioned by Britain and France, with the Emirate of Transjordan
established in 1921 and becoming a British protectorate. Jordan became
independent in 1946.

Jordan captured the West Bank in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and annexed it until
Israeli forces took it during the Six Day War in 1967. Jordan gave up its claim
to the territory in 1988, and in 1994 became the second Arab state to sign a
peace treaty with Israel.

It is home to some two million Palestinian refugees. Since start of the civil
war in Syrian, it has seen an influx of some 1.4 million Syrian refugees,
placing a substantial strain on its resources and infrastructure.

 * Read more country profiles, external - Profiles by BBC Monitoring, external


HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN: FACTS

 * Capital: Amman

 * Area: 89,342 sq km

 * Population: 11.1 million

 * Language: Arabic

 * Life expectancy: 72 years (men) 77 years (women)


LEADERS

Head of state: King Abdullah II

Image source, Getty Images

King Abdullah II, Jordan's monarch since 1999, has extensive powers. He appoints
governments, approves legislation, and can dissolve parliament.

Faced with demands for political reform in the wake of the popular uprisings
arcos the Arab world in 2011, the king dismissed his government at the time and
appointed the first of a series of prime ministers to oversee the introduction
of political changes, but concerns over living costs and financial issues have
led to regular street protests.

Proportional representation was introduced in the Jordanian parliament in the
2016 general election, a move the king has said will eventually lead to
establishing parliamentary governments.


MEDIA

Image source, Getty Images

Jordanian media take care not to cross red lines in their reporting. These
include criticism of the political system, the monarchy, the military and
religion.Editorial curbs are often enforced through self-censorship, rather than
coercion or repression.  Outlets linked to the state take a strong
pro-government line, while private media are more likely to criticise specific
government policies.



 * Read full media profile


TIMELINE

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Jordan's cultural heritage, such as the rock city of Petra, is popular with
tourists

Some key dates in Jordan's history:

3600-1200BC - Bronze Age sees the emergence of fortified towns and urban
centres.

1200-332 BC - Kingdoms of Ammon, Edom and Moab flourish during the Iron Age.

c.740-720BC - Area conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire.

605-539BC - After the collapse of the Assyrians, area incorporated into the
Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar the Great.

539-330BC - Becomes part of the Persian Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great.

330BC - Greeks under Alexander the Great conquer the area.

323BC - Alexander dies. His empire splits among his generals and much of Jordan
is subsequently disputed between the Ptolemies in Egypt and the Seleucids in
Syria

3rd Century BC-100AD - During this period the Nabataean kingdom flourishes
through control of much of the trade routes of the region from its desert
capital, Petra.

63BC - Roman general Pompey the Great annexes the region - which becomes a Roman
province.

324AD - Roman Empire splits into West and East. The Eastern Roman Empire -later
known as the Byzantine Empire - continues to control or influence the region.

636 - Arab conquest. Byzantine forces decisively defeated by Muslim armies at
the Battle of Yarmuk.

c. 650 - Umayyad dynasty make Damascus the capital of their empire.

750 - Abbasids overthrow the Umayyads and move their capital to Baghdad.

969-1070 - After the decline of the Abbasids, Jordan is ruled by the Fatimid
Caliphate.

1115-1187 - Becomes part of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.

1187 - Battle of Hattin. The Crusaders are defeated by the Kurdish leader Salah
ad-Din, the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty.

1260 - Mongol invasion; Mongols defeated by Egyptian Mamluk forces at the Battle
of Ain Jalut.

1400 - Turco-Mongol leader Tamurlane sacks Aleppo and Damascus.

1516 - Ottomans conquer region and incorporate it into their empire.

1914-18 - World War One.

1916 - Great Arab Revolt. Encouraged by Britain and France who want to
militarily weaken the Ottoman Empire, and driven by long-term resentment towards
the Ottoman authorities and growing Arab nationalism. The revolt is led by
Sharif Hussein of Mecca.

1921 - Emirate of Transjordan established with Abdullah, Hussein's son, as emir.

1946 - The United Nations recognizes Jordan as an independent sovereign kingdom.

1948 - State of Israel created in British-mandate Palestine. Thousands of
Palestinians flee Arab-Israeli fighting to West Bank and Jordan.

1950 - Jordan annexes West Bank.

1951 - King Abdullah assassinated by Palestinian gunman angry at his apparent
collusion with Israel in the division of Palestine.

1952 - Hussein proclaimed king after his father, Talal, is declared mentally
unfit to rule.

1957 - British troops complete their withdrawal from Jordan.

1967 - Israel takes control of Jerusalem and the West Bank during Six-Day War,
leading to major influx of refugees into Jordan.

1970-71 - Jordan expels Palestinian Liberation Organisation armed camps from the
country in the Black September conflict.

1994 - Jordan signs peace treaty with Israel, ending 46-year official state of
war.

1999 - Hussein dies. His eldest son Crown Prince Abdullah succeeds to the
throne.

2011 - Political turmoil in Arab countries reflected in street protests over
political reform and the cost of living.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

A Bedouin guide looks over the desert of Wadi Rum in Jordan


RELATED TOPICS

 * Middle East
 * Abdullah II
 * Jordan


MORE ON THIS STORY

 * Syria country profile
   
   Published
   19 April 2023
   
   

 * Iraq country profile
   
   Published
   13 September 2023
   
   

 * Saudi Arabia country profile
   
   Published
   29 August 2023
   
   

 * Egypt country profile
   
   Published
   2 January
   
   

 * Israel country profile
   
   Published
   13 October 2023
   
   

 * Golan Heights profile
   
   Published
   29 August 2023
   
   


RELATED INTERNET LINKS

 * King Abdullah

 * Official website dedicated to King Hussein

 * Jordanian government website

 * Jordan Tourism Board

 * BBC Arabic.com

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.




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