JORDAN (see separate West Bank entry) Note: The war between Israel and the Arab states in June 1967 ended with Israel in control of the West Bank. As stated in the 1978 Camp David Accords and reaffirmed by President Reagan's 1 September 1982 peace initiative, the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, their relationship with their neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan are to be negotiated among the concerned parties. The Camp David Accords further specify that these negotiations will resolve the location of the respective boundaries. Pending the completion of this process, it is US policy that the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has yet to be determined. GEOGRAPHY Total area: 91,880 km2; land area: 91,540 km2 Comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana Land boundaries: 1,586 km total; Iraq 134 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 742 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km Coastline: 26 km Maritime claims: Territorial sea: 3 nm Disputes: differences with Israel over the location of the 1949 Armistice Line which separates the two countries Climate: mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April) Terrain: mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil Land use: arable land 4%; permanent crops 0.5%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 0.5%; other 94%; includes irrigated 0.5% Environment: lack of natural water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification PEOPLE Population: 3,412,553 (July 1991), growth rate 4.2% (1991) Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 1 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 38 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 73 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 7.1 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Jordanian(s); adjective--Jordanian Ethnic divisions: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1% Religion: Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 8% Language: Arabic (official); English widely understood among upper and middle classes Literacy: 80% (male 89%, female 70%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) Labor force: 572,000 (1988); agriculture 20%, manufacturing and mining 20% (1987 est.) Organized labor: about 10% of labor force Note: 1.5-1.7 million Palestinians live on the East Bank (55-60% of the population), most are Jordanian citizens GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Type: constitutional monarchy Capital: Amman Administrative divisions: 8 governorates (muhafazat, singular--muhafazah); Al Balqa, Al Karak, Al Mafraq, Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa, Irbid, Maan Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration; formerly Trans-Jordan) Constitution: 8 January 1952 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 National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May (1946) Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly (Majlis al-Umma) consists of an upper house or House of Notables (Majlis al-Aayan) and a lower house or House of Deputies (Majlis al-Nuwaab); note--the House of Deputies was dissolved by King Hussein on 30 July 1988 as part of Jordanian disengagement from the West Bank and in November 1989 the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held, with no seats going to Palestinians on the West Bank Judicial branch: Court of Cassation Leaders: Chief of State--King HUSSEIN Ibn Talal I (since 11 August 1952); Head of Government--Prime Minister Tahir al-MASRI (since 17 June 1991) Political parties and leaders: none; after the 1989 parliamentary elections, King Hussein promised to allow the formation of political parties; a national charter that sets forth the ground rules for democracy in Jordan--including the creation of political parties--has been completed but not yet approved Suffrage: universal at age 20 Elections: House of Representatives--last held 8 November 1989 (next to be held November 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(80 total) Muslim Brotherhood 22, Independent Islamic bloc 10, Democratic bloc (mostly leftist) 15, Liberal bloc (traditionalist) 7, Nationalist bloc (traditionalist) 14, independent 12 Communists: party actively repressed, membership less than 500 (est.) Member of: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Hussein A. HAMMAMI; Chancery at 3504 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 966-2664; US--Ambassador Roger Gram HARRISON; Embassy on Jebel Amman, Amman (mailing address is P. O. Box 354, Amman, or APO New York 09892); telephone 962 (6) 644-371 Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), white, and green with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a small white seven-pointed star; the seven points on the star represent the seven fundamental laws of the Koran ECONOMY Overview: Jordan was a secondary beneficiary of the oil boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when its annual GNP growth averaged 10-12%. Recent years, however, have witnessed a sharp reduction in grant aid from Arab oil-producing countries and a dropoff in worker remittances, with national growth averaging 1-2%. Imports--mainly oil, capital goods, consumer durables, and foodstuffs--have been outstripping exports by roughly $2 billion annually, the difference being made up by aid, remittances, and borrowing. In mid-1989, the Jordanian Government agreed to implement an IMF austerity program designed to tackle the country's serious economic problems. The program sought to gradually reduce the government's budget deficit over the next several years and implement badly needed structural reforms in the economy. In return for agreeing to the IMF program, Jordan was granted IMF standby loans of over $100 million. Recognizing that it would be unable to cover its debt obligations, the government also began debt rescheduling negotiations with creditors in mid-1989. The onset of the Gulf crisis in August 1990 forced the government to shelve the IMF program and suspend most debt payments and rescheduling negotiations. Economic prospects for 1991 are especially gloomy, given the unsettled conditions in the Middle East. GNP: $4.6 billion, per capita $1,400; real growth rate - 15% (1990 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (1990 est.) Unemployment rate: 30% (January 1991 est.) Budget: revenues $1.05 billion; expenditures $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.) Exports: $0.9 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--fruits and vegetables, phosphates, fertilizers; partners--Iraq, Saudi Arabia, India, Kuwait, Japan, China, Yugoslavia, Indonesia Imports: $2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.); commodities--crude oil, textiles, capital goods, motor vehicles, foodstuffs; partners--EC, US, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Turkey, Romania, China, Taiwan External debt: $8 billion (December 1990 est.) Industrial production: growth rate - 15% (1990 est.); accounts for 20% of GDP Electricity: 981,000 kW capacity; 3,500 million kWh produced, 1,180 kWh per capita (1989) Industries: phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash, light manufacturing Agriculture: accounts for only 5% of GDP; principal products are wheat, barley, citrus fruit, tomatoes, melons, olives; livestock--sheep, goats, poultry; large net importer of food Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.7 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $1.3 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.5 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $44 million Currency: Jordanian dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils Exchange rates: Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1--0.6670 (January 1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3709 (1988), 0.3387 (1987), 0.3499 (1986), 0.3940 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 619 km 1.050-meter gauge, single track Highways: 7,500 km; 5,500 km asphalt, 2,000 km gravel and crushed stone Pipelines: crude oil, 209 km Ports: Al Aqabah Merchant marine: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 22,870 GRT/38,187 DWT; includes 1 bulk, 1 cargo Civil air: 19 major transport aircraft Airports: 19 total, 16 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: adequate system of radio relay, cable, and radio; 81,500 telephones; stations--4 AM, 3 FM, 24 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT, 1 domestic TV receive-only; coaxial cable and radio relay to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria; radio relay to Lebanon is inactive; a microwave network linking Syria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Jordan DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Jordan Arab Army, Royal Jordanian Air Force, Royal Jordanian Coast Guard, Public Security Force Manpower availability: males 15-49, 778,353; 555,144 fit for military service; 39,879 reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: $377 million, 12.4% of GNP (1990)