Jordan Industries, Inc. Business Information, Profile, and History

Related information about Jordan

Official name Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Arabic Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniya al-Hashemiyah

Local name al'Urdun Timezone GMT +2 Area 89 544 km²/34 564 sq mi population total (2002e) 5 260 000 Status Hashemite kingdom Date of independence 1946 Capital Amman Language Arabic (official) Ethnic groups Arab (99%), Circassian, Armenian, Turkish, Kurd minorities Religions Muslim (Sunni 95%), Christian (including Roman Catholic, Anglican, Coptic, Greek Orthodox, and Evangelical Lutheran) (5%) Physical features Located in Middle East. Divided N–S by Red Sea-Jordan rift valley, much lying below sea level; lowest point, -400 m/-1312 ft at the Dead Sea; highest point, Jebel Ram, 1754 m/5754 ft; land levels out to the Syrian desert (E); c.90% of Jordan is desert. Climate Mediterranean; hot, dry summers, cool, wet winters; desert area uniformly hot, sunny; rainfall below 200 mm/8 in; average annual temperatures 7·5°C (Jan), 24·9°C (Jul) in Amman. Currency 1 Jordan Dinar (JOD) = 1000 fils Economy Oil, cement, potash, phosphate (world's third largest exporter), light manufacturing; cereals, vegetables, citrus fruits, olives. GDP (2002e) $22·63 bn, per capita $4300 Human Development Index (2002) 0·717 History Part of Roman Empire; Arab control, 7th-c; part of Turkish Empire, 16th-c until World War 1; area divided into Palestine (W of R Jordan) and Transjordan (E of R Jordan), administered by Britain; independence as Hashimite Kingdom of Jordan, 1946; British mandate over Palestine ended, 1948, with newly-created Israel fighting to control West Bank area; armistice in 1949 left Jordan in control of West Bank; Israeli control of West Bank after Six-Day War, 1967; civil war, following attempts by Jordanian army to expel Palestinian guerrillas from West Bank, 1970–1; claims to the West Bank ceded to the Palestine Liberation Organization, 1974; links with the West Bank cut, and PLO established a government in exile, 1988; martial law formally abolished by King Hussein in 1992, and ban on political parties lifted; conflict with Israel formally ended, 1994; Monarch is Head of State and appoints a Prime Minister, who selects a Council of Ministers; Parliament consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives.:For other uses, see Jordan (disambiguation).

Al-Mamlakah al-Urdunniyyah al-H??imiyyah |
conventional_long_name = Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan |
common_name = Jordan |
image_flag = Flag of Jordan.svg |
image_coat = Jordan coa.png |
image_map = LocationJordan.png |
national_anthem = [[As-salam al-malaki al-urdoni|??? ??????
]]
("Long Live the King")|
official_languages = Arabic |
capital = Amman|
latd=31|latm=57|latNS=N|longd=35|longm=56|longEW=E|
government_type = Constitutional Monarchy |
leader_title1 = King |
leader_name1 = Abdullah II |
leader_title2 = Prime Minister |
leader_name2 = Marouf al-Bakhit |
largest_city = Amman |
area = 89,342 |
areami²= 34,495 |
area_rank = 112th |
area_magnitude = |
area_highest point=Jabal Ramm|
area_lowest point=Dead Sea|
percent_water = ~0.01% |
population_estimate = 5,703,000 |
population_estimate_year = July 2005 |
population_estimate_rank = 106th |
population_census = 5,460,000 |
population_census_year = 2003 |
population_density = 64 |
population_densitymi² =166 |
population_density_rank = 131st |
GDP_PPP_year = 2005 |
GDP_PPP = $27.96 billion |
GDP_PPP_rank = 97th |
GDP_PPP_per_capita = $ 4,825 |
GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 103rd |
HDI_year = 2003 |
HDI = 0.753 |
HDI_rank = 90th |
HDI_category = medium |
sovereignty_type = Independence |
sovereignty_note = From the League of Nations mandate administered by the United Kingdom |
established_event1 = Date |
established_date1 = 25 May 1946 |
currency = Jordanian dinar |
currency_code = JOD |
time_zone = UTC+2 |
utc_offset = |
time_zone_DST = UTC+3 |
utc_offset_DST = |
cctld = .jo |
calling_code = 962 |
|ISO_3166-1_alpha2 =JO |
|ISO_3166-1_alpha3 =JOR |
|ISO_3166-1_numeric =400 |
|sport_code =JOR |
|vehicle_code =JOR |
|footnotes = |
}}
Jordan (Arabic: ???????, transliterated ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Arabic: ??????? ????????), is an Arab country in the Middle East. It is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the north-east, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, and Israel and the Palestinian Territories to the west. It shares with Israel and the Palestinian Territories the coastlines of the Dead Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

History

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

At the end of WWI, with the break up of the Ottoman Empire, the League of Nations created French Mandate Syria and British Mandate Palestine. It is one of only two countries that is named after a family, the other being Saudi Arabia, named after the family Saud, the winners in the civil war against the Hashemites.

In 1950, Transjordan annexed the West Bank, which it had conquered in the Arab League's war against Israel in 1948. The annexation was recognised only by the United Kingdom.

Following the formation of the United Arab Republic by Egypt and Syria, and the Iraqi Revolution in 1958, the Hashemite kingdom was threatened, its trade routes and Iraqi oil supply cut. In consequence, Jordan had to request aid from the USA and United Kingdom, which prevented escalations between Jordan and the UAR. (See the Conflict between the United Arab Republic and Jordan.)

In the year 1965 there was an exchange of territories between Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Jordan gave up a relatively large area of inland desert in return for a small piece of sea-shore near Aqaba.

Jordan signed a mutual defense pact in May 1967 with Egypt, and it participated in the June 1967 war against Israel along with Syria, Egypt, and Iraq. During the war, Jordan lost its control of the West Bank and all of Jerusalem. The international community as represented in the United Nations considers the West Bank to be territory occupied by Israel and believes that its final status should be determined through direct negotiations among the parties concerned on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 242 and UN Security Council Resolution 338. The battle in which Palestinian fighters from various Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) groups were expelled from Jordan is commonly known as Black September, and this was from Palestinians point of view.
Other Arab governments attempted to work out a peaceful solution, but by September, continuing fedayeen actions in Jordan – including the destruction of three international airliners hijacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and held in the desert east of Amman – It is said by some people, such as Ahmad Jubreel, that King Hussein has asked the help from IsraelAljazeera.net article (Arabic article), then Israel threatened that it will invade Jordan if Syria internvenes dubious. Sporadic violence continued, however, until Jordanian forces led by Habis Al-Majali and with the help of the Iraqi forces (which had basis in Jordan after the war of 1967)Aljazeera.net article won a decisive victory over the fedayeen in July 1971, expelling them from the country.

At the Rabat summit conference in 1974, Jordan agreed, along with the rest of the Arab League, that the PLO was the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people", thereby relinquishing to that organization its role as representative of the West Bank Palestinians.

Post Black September and Peace Treaty

No fighting occurred along the 1967 Jordan River cease-fire line during the October 1973 Arab-Israeli war, but Jordan sent a brigade to Syria to fight Israeli units on Syrian territory. Jordan did not participate in the Gulf War of 1990-91. In 1991, Jordan agreed, along with Syria, Lebanon, and Palestinian representatives, to participate in direct peace negotiations with Israel at the Madrid Conference, sponsored by the U.S. and Russia. It negotiated an end to hostilities with Israel and signed a declaration to that effect on July 25, 1994 (see Washington Declaration). As a result, an Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty was concluded on October 26, 1994.

Modern History

On November 9, 2005, Jordan experienced three simultaneous bombings at hotels in Amman. Al-Qaeda in Iraq, a group led by native Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility.

On September 4, 2006, 38 year old Nabil Ahmed Issa Jaoura, a welder from the nearby town of al Kadisyeh, took a pistol to a Roman amphitheatre in the capital of Amman and proceeded to shoot at a group of 12 Western tourists.

Politics

Constitution

Jordan is a constitutional monarchy based on the constitution promulgated on January 8, 1952. Executive authority is vested in the king and his council of ministers. His veto power may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of both houses of the National Assembly. He appoints and may dismiss all judges by decree, approves amendments to the constitution, declares war, and commands the armed forces. Cabinet decisions, court judgments, and the national currency are issued in his name. Administratively, Jordan is divided into twelve governorates, each headed by a governor appointed by the king. They are the sole authorities for all government departments and development projects in their respective areas.

The Royal Armed Forces and General Intelligence Department of Jordan are under the control of the king.

Legal System and Legislation

The Legal System of Jordan is based on Islamic law and French codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.

Legislative power rests in the bicameral National Assembly. Nine seats are reserved for Christians, six for women, and three for Circassians and Chechens. At that time his son, Hussein, was too young to rule, and hence a committee ruled over Jordan.

After Hussein reached 18, he ruled Jordan as king from 1953 to 1999, surviving a number of challenges to his rule, drawing on the loyalty of his military, and serving as a symbol of unity and stability for both the East Bank and Palestinian communities in Jordan. King Hussein ended martial law in 1991 and legalized political parties in 1992. In 1989 and 1993, Jordan held free and fair parliamentary elections.

King Abdullah II succeeded his father Hussein following the latter's death in February 1999. Abdullah moved quickly to reaffirm Jordan's peace treaty with Israel and its relations with the United States.

Administrative Divisions

Administratively, Jordan is divided into 12 governorates, each headed by a governor appointed by the king. The governorates are subdivided into approximately 52 nahias.

The governorates include:

• Ajlun
  
• Amman
  
• Aqaba
  
• Balqa
  
• Irbid
  
• Jerash
  
• Kerak
  
• Ma'an
  
• Madaba
  
• Mafraq
  
• Tafilah
  
• Zarqa
  

Geography

Jordan is a Middle Eastern country, bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the east and south and both Israel and the West Bank to the west. The Gulf of Aqaba and the Dead Sea also touch the country, and thus Jordan has a coastline of 26 kilometers (16 mi).

Jordan consists mostly of arid desert plateau in the east, with Highland area in the west. The Great Rift Valley of the Jordan River separates Jordan and Israel. Jordan is part of a region considered to be "the cradle of civilization".

Major cities include the capital Amman in the northwest, Irbid and Az Zarqa, both in the north.

The climate in Jordan is dry and hot, since the country is mainly desert.

Economy

Jordan is a small country with limited natural resources. In addition, a natural gas pipeline from Egypt to the southern port city of Aqaba was completed in 2003. Similar growth in exports to the United States under the bilateral US-Jordan Free Trade Agreement that went into effect in December 2001, to the European Union under the bilateral Association Agreement, and to countries in the region, holds considerable promise for diversifying Jordan's economy away from its traditional reliance on exports of phosphates and potash, overseas remittances, and foreign aid. Jordan has been a member of the World Trade Organization since 2000. More information on the FTA is available on www.jordanusfta.com.

Textile and apparel exports from Jordan to the United States shot up 2,000 percent from 2000 to 2005, following introduction of the FTA. According to the National Labor Committee, a U.S.-based NGO, Jordan has experienced sharp increases in sweatshop conditions in its export-oriented manufacturing sector.NLCNet.Org

Jordan is classified by the World Bank as a "lower middle income country." On the positive side, however, there is huge potential in the solar energy falling on Jordan's deserts, not only for the generation of pollution-free electricity but also for such spin-offs as desalination of sea water (see Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC)). The best known attractions include:

• Ancient Sightseeing
  
  • Petra in Ma'an, the home of Nabateans, is a complete city carved in a mountain. In the city are various structures, all (except 2) are carved in rock, including the treasury, which is now nominated by the New Seven Wonders organisation to be one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
    
  • Umm Qais, a town located on the site of the ruined Hellenistic-Roman city of Gadara.
    
  • Ajlun, famous for the Islamic al-Rabadh Castle.
    
  • Jerash, famous for its its ancient Roman architecture, like columns and arches.**Amman contains the Roman theater, in addition to several museums.
    
  • Al Karak contains an important castle from the times of Salah al-Din, known as Al-Karak Castle.
    
• Religion-related
  
  • Madaba is probably the center for religion-related tourism in Jordan and contains several important religious objects such as:
    
    • The Madaba Map
      
    • The River Jordan, which is the river where Jesus Christ was baptised, by John the Baptist.
      
    • Mount Nebo
      
• Seaside
  
  • The Dead Sea, for the unusual floating and natural salts that occur excessively. It is the lowest point on earth, 402 meters below sea level, and becomes 1 meter lower each year fact. It is located near River Jordan.
    
  • Aqaba is a town on the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba with numerous shopping centers, hotels and access to water sports.
    
• Other Tourist Sites
  
  • Wadi Rum is a desert full of mountains and hills located south of Jordan. It is popular for its wonderful sights in addition to a variety of sports that are practiced there, such as rock-climbing.
    
  • Amman is a very modern city with lots of malls, shopping centers, hotels and an ancient Roman amphitheatre etc.
    

Influence of the Middle East conflict

The ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict, the Gulf War, and other conflicts in the Middle East have made huge impacts on the economy of Jordan. The fact that Jordan has peace with the surrounding countries, combined with its stability, has made it a preference for many Palestinians, Lebanese, and people from the Persian Gulf immigrants and refugees. These relations were damaged by Jordan's neutrality and maintaining relations with Iraq during the first Gulf War. The Government of Jordan signed a memorandum of understanding with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq to facilitate the training of up to 30,000 Iraqi police cadets at a Jordanian facility.

Jordan signed a nonbelligerency agreement with Israel (the Washington Declaration) in Washington, DC, on 25 July 1994. King Hussein and Yitzhak Rabin negotiated this treaty. Jordan and Israel signed a historic peace treaty on 26 October 1994, witnessed by President Bill Clinton, accompanied by US Secretary, Warren Christopher. Jordan also is a member of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Nonaligned Movement (NAM), and Arab League.

Since the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in September 2000, Jordan has worked hard, in a variety of forums, to maintain lines of communication between the Israelis and the Palestinians to counsel moderation and to return the parties to negotiations of outstanding permanent status issues.

Following the Al-Aqsa Intifada, though, Jordan along with Egypt withdrew its ambassadors from Israel. Following the Sharm-al-Sheik Summit in Egypt on 8 February 2005, both countries announced plans to return ambassadors to the country.

Demographics

With a population of 5,759,732, Jordanians are primarily of indigenous Levantine Semitic stock, admixed with various other peoples who have through its history come to conquer or settle the area — principally Arabians (also a Semitic people) during the Islamic expansionism that brought Arab culture, language and the Muslim faith. But also about 60% of Jordan's population are originally Palestinian Arabs (while their origin is in debate, they might have settled in southern Palestine around the 12th century bc- and Canaanitesfact or after the Islamic conquests in the 7th century AD).


Christians form approximately 5% of the population and they have 9% of the seats in the parliament.

The population of Christians in Jordan has been subject to great changes since the Iraq Conflictfact, as many Christians from Iraq have settled permanently, or temporally in Jordan.

Along with the majority of Muslims, followed by Christian there are also a few smaller communities of Chechens, Circassians, who are Muslims, Assyrians, Armenians, and Kurds, some of which have also adapted to Arab culture.

The official language is Arabic, but English is used widely in commerce and government and among educated people. About 3 million persons registered as Palestinian refugees and displaced persons reside in Jordan, most as citizens.

Culture

• Religion in Jordan
  
  • Islam in Jordan
    
  • Christianity in Jordan
    
• Music of Jordan
  
• Sports in Jordan
  

Education

Jordan has given great attention to education in particular. It is ranked 47^th in the world according to literacy rate, and the second in the Arab world after the Palestinian territories. The academic stream qualifies students for entrance to universities, whereas the vocational or technical type qualifies for entrance to Community colleges or universities or the job market, provided they pass the two additional subjects.

• Vocational secondary education, which provides intensive vocational training and apprenticeship, and leads to the award of a Certificate (not the Tawjihi). These programs include:
  

• IGCSE
  
• SAT
  
• International Baccalaureate
  

Private schools in Jordan also used to offer GCSE examinations, but they have now been replaced by IGCSE examinations.

Higher education

Access to higher education is open to holders of the General Secondary Education Certificate who can then choose between private Community Colleges, public Community Colleges or universities (public and private). Those who pass are awarded the Associate Degree / Diploma.

• University level studies:
  

• University level first stage: Undergraduate level:
  

The universities in Jordan follow the English-American education systems and associated with many American and English universities. Candidates should hold a Master's Degree with "very good" as a minimum rating.

• Teacher education: Training of pre-primary and primary/basic school teachers
  

Basic school teachers must hold a Bachelor's Degree.

Training of secondary school teachers:

Secondary school teachers must hold a Bachelor's Degree and a one-year postgraduate Higher Diploma in Education.

Training of higher education teachers:

They must hold a Doctorate (PhD). Some are designed for specific occupations, in which case a work experience in the relevant field is needed to attend such courses.

Universities and Schools

References

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1. CIA World Factbook www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/jo.html
   
2. US State Department www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3464.htm
   
3. Encyclopaedia Britannica www.britannica.com/nations/Jordan
   
4. UNESCO www.unesco.org
   
5. MOHE www.mohe.gov.jo
   

Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in Jordan
  
• Foreign relations of Jordan
  
• Famous people from Jordan
  
• List of Prime Ministers of Jordan
  
• Military of Jordan
  
• Public holidays in Jordan
  
• Royal Jordanian Airlines
  
• Royal Jordanian Air Force
  
• Transport in Jordan
  
• Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC)
  
• Jordanian Association for Boy Scouts and Girl Guides
  
• Gay rights in Jordan
  
• Hashemite
  
• Human rights in Jordan