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Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan المملكة الردنية الهاشمية Al-Mamlakah al-ʾ Urdunniyyah al-Hāšimiyyah

Flag Coat of arms

ال، الوطن، المليك :Motto: Arabic Transliteration: Allah Al-Watan Al-Malek Translation: "God,Homeland,The King"

ككك كككككك :Anthem The Royal Anthem of Jordan > ("As-salam al-malaki al-urdoni")1 Long Live the King

Capital 31°57′N 35°56′E / 31.95°N 35.933°E / 31.95;

35.933

Official language(s) Arabic [1]

Arabic, English, French, Spoken languages Circassian, Levantine Arabic, Chechen, Turkish

Demonym Jordanian

Government Constitutional monarchy

- King of Jordan Abdullah II

- Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit

Independence

End of British League - of Nations mandate 25 May 1946

Area

92,300 km 2 (111th) - Total 35,637 sq mi - Water (%) 0.8

Population

- July 2010 estimate 6,407,085[2] (102nd)

- July 2004 census 5,611,202

68.4/km2 (131st) - Density 138.8/sq mi

GDP (PPP) 2010 estimate

- Total $35.3 billion[3]

- Per capita $5,956 [4]

GDP (nominal) 2010 estimate

- Total $27.129 billion

- Per capita $4,435[5]

Gini (2002–03) 38.8 (medium)

HDI (2010) 0.681[6] (high) (82nd)

Currency Jordanian dinar (JOD)

Time zone UTC+2 (UTC+2)

- Summer (DST) UTC+3 (UTC+3)

Drives on the Right

ISO 3166 code JO Internet TLD .jo

Calling code 962

1 Also serves as the Royal anthem.

Al-'Urdunn), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of ,الردن :Jordan ( i / ˈ dʒ ɔr d ən / : Arabic Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) and ,(المملكة الردنية الهاشمية :Jordan (Arabic also known as JK (short for The Jordanian Kingdom), is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan in Western Asia. It borders to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing control of the Dead Sea. Jordan's only port is at its south-western tip, at the Gulf of , which is shared with Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Much of Jordan is covered by the Arabian Desert. However, the north-western part of Jordan is part of the Fertile Crescent. The capital city is Amman. The territory of Jordan had been occupied by many civilizations before the creation of the modern state, including those of the Ancient Near East with the Canaanite and later other Semitic peoples such as the Edomites, and the Moabites. Other civilizations possessing the territory east of the river Jordan were: Akkadian, Assyrian, Israelite/Judean, Babylonian, and Persian empires. For a time the lands of the Jordan valley were under the rule of Pharaonic Egypt, including parts of the greater Kingdom of Israel, the later Judaean Kingdom, Hasmonaen Kingdom of Israel and the Herodian Dynasty). The region of the Jordan Valley was also inhabited by the Nabataean civilization which left rich archaeological remains at , one of the New Seven Wonders of the World located in the modern Ma'an Governorate. Cultures from the west bank of the Jordan river also left archaeological evidence of their influence, notably the Macedonian/Greek/Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires. The Muslim Arabs occupied the region from the seventh century until the creation of the Kingdom of Karak during the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.[7] The kingdom was later taken over by the Seljuk Turks, and later the entire region was governed by the until 1918 imposition of the British rule which led to the 1922 creation of an autonomous region of Transjordan, later the independent state of Jordan. Modern Jordan is predominantly urbanized. Jordan is classified as a country of "high human development" by the 2010 Human Development Report.[8] Furthermore, The Kingdom has been classified as an emerging market with a free market economy by the CIA World Fact Book. It has more Free Trade Agreements than any other country in the region. It has a "pro-Western" regime with very close relations with the United Kingdom and the United States. It also became a major non-NATO ally of the United States in 1996, and is one of only two Arab nations, the other being Egypt, that have diplomatic relations with Israel.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] It is a founding member of the Arab League,[17] the WTO,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] the AFESD,[26] the Arab Parliament,[27] the AIDMO, the AMF,[28] the IMF,[29][30] the International Criminal Court,[31] the UNHRC,[32] the GAFTA, the ESCWA,[33] the ENP [34] [35] [36] and the United Nations.[37] Jordan is also currently undergoing close integration with the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Jordan enjoys "advanced status" with the European Union.[38] Contents • 1 History ○ 1.1 Etymology ○ 1.2 History of habitation ○ 1.3 After the Ottoman Empire ○ 1.4 Modern Jordan  1.4.1 2011 Jordanian protests • 2 Geography ○ 2.1 Climate • 3 Government ○ 3.1 Kings ○ 3.2 Parliament ○ 3.3 Constitution ○ 3.4 Legal system and legislation ○ 3.5 Police ○ 3.6 Foreign relations ○ 3.7 Military ○ 3.8 Peacekeeping abroad • 4 Politics ○ 4.1 Political parties ○ 4.2 Human rights • 5 Demographics ○ 5.1 Religion ○ 5.2 Language ○ 5.3 Health ○ 5.4 Quality of life ○ 5.5 Education  5.5.1 School education  5.5.2 Higher education • 6 Economy ○ 6.1 Natural resources ○ 6.2 Currency and exchange rates ○ 6.3 Tourism  6.3.1 Medical tourism  6.3.2 Nature reserves  6.3.3 Influence of the Southwest Asian conflict  6.3.3.1 Opportunity cost of the conflict ○ 6.4 Transportation ○ 6.5 Defence industry • 7 Culture • 8 Globalization • 9 List of Jordanians • 10 See also • 11 References • 12 Further reading • 13 External links [edit] History [edit] Etymology The kingdom is named after the river Jordan. The name "Jordan" derives from the meaning الردن Semitic languages and has multiple meanings (Ancient Arabian Yrd and Canaanite), via the ירד Arda, Hebrew root أرد Steep/Slope" from the root" Aramaic Yarden meaning "one who descends". [edit] History of habitation Main article:

The ancient city of Petra, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The Mesha stele as photographed circa 1891. The stele describes the wars of king Mesha of against the Israelites. One of the most prominent, ancient states geographically located in what is now the State ,ְנָביֹות :Al-Anbāt) (Hebrew ,النباط :of Jordan, was the Nabatean Kingdom (Arabic Nevayōt), with their capital at Petra, an ancient Semitic people who inhabited the wilderness region east of Israel/Judaea from to Syria, northwest of the Arabian peninsula. The developed the North Arabic Script, with their language an intermediary between Hebrew, Aramaean, and that which evolved into the Modern Arabic script. During its peak, the Nabataean Kingdom controlled regional trade routes by dominating a large area southwest of the fertile crescent, which included the whole of modern Jordan extending from Syria in the North to the northern Arabian Peninsula in the south. As a result, Petra enjoyed independence, prosperity and wealth for hundreds of years until it was absorbed by the Persian Empire and later the Roman Empire which was still expanding in 100 CE. Various ancient sovereign kingdoms in the region of Jordan, in addition to the Nabataeans, have included the Kingdoms of Edom, , Moab, Israel/Judah, all of which are mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and other ancient Near Eastern documents.[39] During the Greco-Roman period of influence, a number of semi-independent city-states also developed in the region of Jordan under the umbrella of the Decapolis including: Gerasa (Jerash), Philadelphia (Amman), Raphana (Abila), Dion (Capitolias), Gadara (Umm Qays), and Pella (). Later, the lands of Jordan became part of the Islamic Empire across its different ' stages, including the Rashidun Empire, Umayyad Empire and Abbasid Empire. After the decline of the Abbasid, the region of Jordan was ruled by several conflicting powers including the Mongols, the Christian Crusaders, the Ayyubids and the Mamluks until it became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1516.[40] [edit] After the Ottoman Empire Adyghe (Circassian) horsemanship in Transjordan, April 1921 With the break-up of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, the League of Nations and the occupying powers chose to redraw the borders of the Eastern Mediterranean. The ensuing decisions, most notably the Sykes–Picot Agreement, gave birth to the French Mandate of Syria and British Mandate of Palestine. In September 1922, Transjordan was formally created from within the latter, after the League of Nations approved the British Transjordan memorandum which stated that the Mandate territories east of the River Jordan would be excluded from all the provisions dealing with Jewish settlement.[41] The country was under British supervision until after World War II. In 1946, the British requested that the United Nations approve an end to British Mandate rule in Transjordan. Following the British request, the Transjordanian Parliament proclaimed King Abdullah as the first ruler of the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. Abdullah I continued to rule until a Palestinian Arab assassinated him in 1951 as he was departing from the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, Jordan occupied the area of Cisjordan (Judaea/Samaria) now known as West Bank, which it continued to control in accordance with the 1949 Armistice Agreements and a political union formed in December 1948. The Second Arab-Palestinian Conference held in Jericho on December 1, 1948, proclaimed Abdullah King of Palestine and called for a union of Arab Palestine with the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan.[42] The Transjordanian Government agreed to the unification on December 7, 1948, and on December 13 the Transjordanian parliament approved the creation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The step of unification was ratified by a joint Jordanian National Assembly on April 24, 1950. The Assembly was composed of 20 representatives each from the East and West Bank. The Act of Union contained a protective clause which persevered Arab rights in Palestine without prejudice to any final settlement.[43][44] Many legal scholars say the declaration of the Arab League and the Act of Union implied that Jordan's claim of sovereignty over the West Bank was provisional, because it had always been subject to the emergence of the Palestinian state.[45][46] A political union was legally established by the series of proclamations, decrees, and parliamentary acts in December 1948. Abdullah thereupon took the title King of Jordan, and he officially changed the country's name to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in April 1949. The 1950 Act of Union confirmed and ratified King Abdullah's actions. Following the annexation of the West Bank, only the UK formally recognized the union.[47] Thomas Kuttner notes that de facto recognition was granted to the regime, most clearly evidenced by the maintaining of consulates in East Jerusalem by several countries, including the United States.[48] Joseph Weiler agreed, and said that other states had engaged in activities, statements, and resolutions that would be inconsistent with non-recognition.[49] Joseph Massad said that the members of the Arab League granted de facto recognition and that the United States had formally recognized the annexation, except for Jerusalem. [50][51]

Jordanian parachute flares illuminate Jerusalem during the Arab-Israeli war in 1948

Amman became Jordan's capital in 1921 The United States extended de jure recognition to the Government of Transjordan and the Government of Israel on the same day, January 31, 1949.[52] President Truman told King Abdullah that the policy of the United States Government as regards a final territorial settlement in Palestine had been stated in the General Assembly on Nov 30, 1948 by the American representative. The US supported Israeli claims to the boundaries set forth in the UN General Assembly resolution of November 29, 1947, but believed that if Israel sought to retain additional territory in Palestine allotted to the Arabs, it should give the Arabs territorial compensation.[53] Clea Bunch said that "President Truman crafted a balanced policy between Israel and its moderate Hashemite neighbours when he simultaneously extended formal recognition to the newly created state of Israel and the Kingdom of Transjordan. These two nations were inevitably linked in the President's mind as twin emergent states: one serving the needs of the refugee Jew, the other absorbing recently displaced Palestinian Arabs. In addition, Truman was aware of the private agreements that existed between Jewish Agency leaders and King Abdullah I of Jordan. Thus, it made perfect sense to Truman to favour both states with de jure recognition."[54] In 1978 the U.S. State Department published a memorandum of conversation held on June 5, 1950 between Mr. Stuart W. Rockwell of the Office of African and Near Eastern Affairs and Abdel Monem Rifai, a Counselor of the Jordan Legation: Mr. Rifai asked when the United States was going to recognize the union of Arab Palestine and Jordan. Mr. Rockwell explained the Department's position, stating that it was not the custom of the United States to issue formal statements of recognition every time a foreign country changed its territorial area. The union of Arab Palestine and Jordan had been brought about as a result of the will of the people and the US accepted the fact that Jordanian sovereignty had been extended to the new area. Mr. Rifai said he had not realized this and that he was very pleased to learn that the US did in fact recognize the union.[55] With the developing Arab Cold War, Jordan and Iraq united in 1958 to form the Arab Federation of Iraq and Jordan under the Hashemite crowns in Amman and Baghdad. A coup later that year would end the union with the execution of the Hashemite crown in Baghdad. The United Arab States consisting of Egypt, Syria, and Yemen quickly moved to antagonize Jordan's young King Hussein with Soviet support. King Hussein asked for British and American assistance. The RAF and the USAF were sent to patrol Jordanian airspace and British troops were deployed in Amman. In 1965, there was an exchange of land between Saudi Arabia and Jordan.[56] Jordan gave up a large area of inland desert in return for a small piece of sea-shore near Aqaba. Jordan signed a military pact with Egypt in May 1967, and following an Israeli air attack on Egypt in June 1967, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq continued the Six Day War against Israel. During the war, Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In 1988, Jordan renounced all claims to the territory now occupied by Israel but its 1994 treaty with Israel allowed for a continuing Jordanian role in Muslim and Christian holy places in Jerusalem. The severance of administrative ties with the West Bank halted the Jordanian government's paying of civil servants and public sector employees' salaries in the West Bank. The period following the 1967 war saw an upsurge in the activity and numbers of Arab Palestinian paramilitary elements (fedayeen) within the state of Jordan. These distinct, armed militias were becoming a "state within a state", threatening Jordan's rule of law. King Hussein's armed forces targeted the fedayeen, and open fighting erupted in June 1970. The battle in which Palestinian fighters from various Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) groups were expelled from Jordan is commonly known as . The heaviest fighting occurred in northern Jordan and Amman. In the ensuing heavy fighting, a Syrian tank force invaded northern Jordan to back the fedayeen fighters, but subsequently retreated. King Hussein urgently asked the United States and Great Britain to intervene against Syria. Consequently, Israel performed mock air strikes on the Syrian column at the Americans' request. Soon after, Syrian President Nureddin al-Atassi, ordered a hasty retreat from Jordanian soil.[57][58] By September 22, Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo arranged a cease-fire beginning the following day. However, sporadic violence continued until Jordanian forces, led by Habis Al-Majali, with the help of Iraqi forces,[59] won a decisive victory over the fedayeen on July 1971, expelling them, and ultimately the PLO's Yasser Arafat, from Jordan. In 1973, allied Arab League forces attacked Israel in the Yom Kippur War, and fighting occurred along the 1967 Jordan River cease-fire line. Jordan sent a brigade to Syria to attack Israeli units on Syrian territory but did not engage Israeli forces from Jordanian territory. At the Rabat summit conference in 1974, Jordan was now in a more secure position to agree, along with the rest of the Arab League, that the PLO was the "sole legitimate representative of the [Arab] Palestinian people", thereby relinquishing to that organization its role as representative of the West Bank.