Jordan Passport

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

【 Area 】 89000 square kilometers.

Population: 11.62 million (including Palestinian, Syrian, and Iraqi refugees), with 98% of the population being Arabs, as well as a small number of Circassians, Turkmen, and Armenians. The state religion is Islam, with 92% of residents being Sunni and 2% being Shia and Druze. About 6% of the residents believe in Christianity, mainly belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church.

[Official language] Arabic, commonly used English.

Amman, the capital, covers an area of 1700 square kilometers and has a population of 4.74 million.

[Important holiday] National Day: May 25th.

[Currency] Jordanian Dinar, 1 US dollar is equivalent to 0.71 Jordanian Dinar.

【 Natural Geography 】 Located in western Asia, northwest of the Arabian Peninsula, it borders Palestine and Israel to the west, Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the southeast and south, and the only sea outlet is the Gulf of Aqaba, which is adjacent to the Red Sea in the southwest corner. The western highlands belong to the subtropical Mediterranean climate, with a mild climate and an average temperature of 7 ℃ -14 ℃ in January and 26 ℃ -33 ℃ in July. The eastern and southeastern regions are deserts, accounting for 78% of the country's total area.

Jordan was originally a part of Palestine. At the beginning of the 7th century AD, it belonged to the territory of the Arab Empire. In 1517 AD, it belonged to the Ottoman Empire. After World War I, it became a British mandate territory. In 1921, Britain divided Palestine into two parts along the Jordan River, with the western part still called Palestine and the eastern part establishing the Emirate of Outer Jordan. On March 22, 1946, Britain recognized the independence of Outer Jordan and changed its name to the Hashemite Kingdom of Outer Jordan on May 25. In the first Arab Israeli War in May 1948, approximately 4800 square kilometers of land were occupied in the West Bank of the Jordan River. In April 1950, Outer Jordan merged with the West Bank and was renamed the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. In the Third Arab Israeli War of 1967, Israel occupied the West Bank. In July 1988, King Hussein announced the suspension of "legal and administrative contacts" with the West Bank region of the Jordan River. In October 1994, a peace treaty was signed with Israel.

On February 9, 1995, approximately 340 square kilometers of lost land occupied by Israel were reclaimed. On October 25, 2019, Jordan regained sovereignty over the last two pieces of land occupied by Israel, covering an area of approximately 70 square kilometers.

Jordan is a hereditary constitutional monarchy, where the king serves as the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, with highly centralized power. The parliament has two houses of parliament and implements a multi-party system. In March 2013, Jordan elected its Prime Minister for the first time through consultation between the king and parliament.

【 Head of State 】 King Abdullah II Bin Al Hussein ascended to the throne on February 7, 1999.

The Constitution was promulgated and came into effect on January 1, 1952. According to the constitution, Jordan is a hereditary Arab constitutional monarchy with legislative power vested in the king and parliament. The king is the head of state and has the authority to approve and promulgate laws, appoint a prime minister, approve and dissolve parliament, and command the military. In January 1960, the parliament passed a constitutional amendment granting the king the right to extend the term of office of the House of Representatives. In January 1974, February 1976, and January 1984, the parliament passed constitutional amendments three times, granting the king the right to indefinitely postpone elections and convene special parliamentary sessions when the cabinet deems it necessary to amend the constitution. The main content of the 2011 constitutional amendment is the establishment of the Constitutional Court, which is responsible for supervising whether the current laws and systems comply with the provisions of the Constitution, and enjoys the power of constitutional interpretation. After the constitutional amendment in 2016, the king has the power to appoint a crown prince. The constitutional amendment passed in January 2022 grants women, youth, and people with disabilities more rights, improves their status in society, and establishes the National Security and Foreign Policy Council.

The Supreme Judicial Council has courts and procuratorates under its jurisdiction, which independently exercise judicial power. There are three types of courts: civil courts, religious courts, and special courts. The civil court is responsible for adjudicating civil and criminal cases. The religious court is mainly responsible for matters such as marriage, inheritance, and adoption. Special courts include national security courts, military courts, police courts, major criminal case courts, customs courts, etc.

The National Assembly, also known as the Parliament, consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. There are 138 members of the House of Representatives, elected by universal suffrage, with a term of 4 years and the ability to be re elected. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is elected annually by the members of the House and is eligible for re-election. In September 2024, Jordan held the 20th National Assembly House of Representatives election, electing a total of 138 members. Members of the Senate are appointed by the King from among prominent individuals over the age of 40, with no more than half of the members in the House of Representatives. The term of office of the Senate President is 2 years, and the term of office of the members is 4 years, both of which can be re elected. There are a total of 65 senators in this Senate. The current Speaker of the Senate, Faisal Al Fayez, was re elected by the King in October 2024.

On September 18, 2024, the new government of Jordan was sworn in. There are currently 32 cabinet members, mainly including Prime Minister and Defense Minister Jafar Hassan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Overseas Chinese Affairs Ayman Safadi, and Interior Minister Mazen Faraya.

The main pillars of the national economy are remittances, tourism, and investment. After King Abdullah II came to power, he vigorously promoted economic reforms, improved the investment environment, and reversed the situation of long-term negative or zero economic growth. Jordan joined the World Trade Organization in 1999. The economic growth rate exceeded 8% between 2004 and 2008. In 2021, the government proposed the "Economic Modernization Vision", with the main goal of achieving a 5% GDP growth and creating 1 million new jobs by 2033.

The main economic data for the first half of 2024 are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate: 2.2%.

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: Approximately 4454 US dollars.

Total foreign exchange reserves: 18.123 billion US dollars.

The main resources include phosphate, potassium salt, copper, manganese, uranium, oil shale, and a small amount of natural gas. Phosphate reserves are approximately 2 billion tons. The Dead Sea water can be used to extract potassium salts, with a reserve of 4 billion tons. The oil shale reserves are 70 billion tons, but the commercial mining value is low.

Industry mainly includes mining, light industry, and small-scale processing industries, including mining, packaging and office supplies, chemicals and cosmetics, food, engineering, plastics, furniture, leather and knitting, medical industry, etc. There are five large-scale industrial industries including phosphate, potassium salt, oil refining, cement, and fertilizer.

Agriculture accounts for 4.1% of the total economic output, with a population of 110400 and approximately 12% of the labor force. The cultivable land area accounts for only 7.8% of the national land area, and the cultivated land area is about 500000 hectares, mostly concentrated in the Jordan Valley and all privately operated. The lack of water resources is the main obstacle to the development of agriculture. Currently, there are 10 major dams with a total capacity of 327 million cubic meters, of which 91% are located in arid areas. Overall, agricultural products cannot meet domestic demand, and the main grains, vegetables, fruits, and beef rely mainly on imports. The main crops include wheat, barley, corn, etc., with a large yield of olives. Olive oil is one of the main products for export and foreign exchange earnings.

Tourism is one of Jordan's three major economic pillars and a major source of foreign exchange. The main tourist attractions include Amman, Dead Sea, Jerash, Petra, Ajron Castle, Aqaba, Moon Valley, etc. At the beginning of the epidemic, Jordan's tourism revenue sharply decreased by more than 60%. With the relaxation of entry and exit control measures, the number of tourists received by Jordan has rapidly rebounded. In 2023, the number of tourists received exceeded 6.35 million, a year-on-year increase of 25.7%.

The total length of highways is 8000 kilometers, and a road network connecting urban and rural areas across the country has been basically built. The international road network is connected to countries such as Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. The annual transportation volume exceeds 10 million tons. The railway has a total length of 730 kilometers, with a passenger volume of 31300 and a freight volume of 3.7895 million tons. Aqaba Port is the only port and import/export trade hub in Jordan, with container and bulk terminals, 23 deep-water berths, 29 fixed shipping routes, and access to over 200 ports except for the West African coast and the western coast of South America. Its annual cargo throughput can reach 22 million tons. Royal Jordanian Airlines has opened 76 international routes. The main airports are: Amman Queen Alia International Airport, Amman Civil Airport (Marka Airport), and Aqaba International Airport.

Jordan's financial system is relatively developed, contributing approximately 18% to the country's gross domestic product. There are 26 banks nationwide. Foreign banks are allowed to establish branches, but are not allowed to provide financing to overseas entities.

We have trade relations with over 100 countries and regions around the world. The main imports include crude oil, machinery and equipment, electronic appliances, steel, chemical products, grain, clothing, etc. The main importing countries are Saudi Arabia, China, the United States, Germany, and Egypt. The main exports include clothing, phosphates, potassium salts, vegetables, pharmaceutical products, and fertilizers, with the main export countries being the United States, Iraq, India, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The total foreign trade volume of Jordan in 2023 is 38.3 billion US dollars, of which imports are 25.7 billion US dollars and exports are 12.6 billion US dollars.

The Jordanian government is committed to improving the investment environment, continuously formulating and improving investment regulations, actively attracting foreign investment, and particularly encouraging foreign investors to invest and establish factories in Jordan's industrial zones. In 2021, a new Ministry of Investment (MOIN) was established to replace the Jordan Investment Commission.. In 2023, foreign direct investment reached 842 million US dollars.

The medical level ranks among the top in the Middle East region. There are currently 99 hospitals nationwide, including 50 hospitals under the Ministry of Health. There are also 368 medical centers and 56 private clinics. Implement a free medical system for government employees, military personnel, and their families, and a medical insurance system for enterprise employees. The average life expectancy is 73 years, and the infant mortality rate is 12.8 ‰ (2023).

The military was founded in 1916, and June 10th is Army Day. The King of Jordan is the supreme commander of the armed forces. The total strength of the regular army is about 98600 people, including nearly 90000 in the army, about 8000 in the air force, and about 600 in the navy. There are 85000 quasi military forces (including security forces, police, and militia), including 35000 reserve personnel.

Jordanian citizens have a high level of cultural literacy. The state attaches great importance to education and implements a 10-year free compulsory basic education. High school education is a non compulsory professional study with a duration of two years. There are a total of 10 public universities and 19 private universities in the country, mainly including the University of Jordan, Yarmouk University, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Hashemite University, Muta University, Al Beta University, Hussein University, and Bayenga University of Applied Sciences. There are also 51 vocational colleges.

Main newspapers and magazines: Charter Daily, Speech Daily, Nabat People's Daily. The main English newspapers are The Jordan Times and The Jordan News. In July 2006, the Cabinet passed the Media and Publishing Law, which no longer allowed the arrest or imprisonment of journalists who committed crimes related to their profession.

Petra News Agency: The official news agency, established in 1969. We have a branch office in Beirut and part-time journalists stationed in several major cities around the world.

Jordan is active in diplomacy, attaches great importance to developing relations with major countries, implements a policy of good neighborliness and friendship, and plays a unique role in regional affairs such as the Middle East issue.