Jordan
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Country Profile Photography History Geography Culture Interesting Facts See Also References |
Country Profile
Photography (*)
City Sunrise - Amman |
In the Middle of the Desert - Al Mazar |
Sunset - Dead Sea |
Arab Cavalier - Al Mazar |
Church - Amman |
Salty Water - Dead Sea |
Arab Mosaic - Amman |
Seashore - Dead Sea |
Camel and his Master - Al Mazar |
History
The land that became Jordan is part of a region that is rich in history, and considered to be the cradle of civilization. Evidence of human communities in Jordan dates back to around 17,000 BC. While there is no architectural evidence from this period, archaeologists have found tools, such as hand-axes, knives and scraping equipments.
At around 2000 B.C., Semitic Amorites settled around the Jordan River in the area called Canaan. This region was invaded and over the centuries by many kingdoms, particularly Egyptians, Israelites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arab Muslims, Christian Crusaders, , Ottoman Turks, and, finally, the British.
With the break-up of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, the League of Nations created the British Mandate Palestine. The area east of the Jordan River was known as Transjordan.
In 1946, after World War II, Jordan had full-autonomy from Britain, and the Jordanian Parliament proclaimed King Abdullah I as the first ruler of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. King Abdullah I remained leader of the country until his assassination in 1951.
In 1950, Jordan annexed the West Bank, which was only recognized by Great Britain. In 1965 Saudi Arabia exchanged a small piece of sea-shore near Aqaba with Jordan giving a large area of inland desert.
Jordan participated in the June 1967 Six-Day War against Israel along with Egypt, Syria and Iraq. During the war, Jordan lost the West Bank and East Jerusalem to Israel. There was a dramatic increase of Palestinian refugees following that war, which were estimated to 300,000. That number does not consider the amount of refugees that came in the country before the war.
A peace treaty was signed between Jordan and Israel in 1994. Jordan has since remained at peace with all of its neighbours.
Since the Iraq War in 2003, between 700,000 and 1.7 million Iraqis fled their country and settled in Jordan, mainly in Amman.
Geography
Jordan is an Arab country of the Middle East, located in western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the north-east, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, and Israel-Palestine to the west. It shares coastlines of the Dead Sea, and the twenty-six kilometers of shoreline along the Gulf of Aqaba. Jordan's geographical significance results from its location for what most Christians, Jews and Muslims call the Holy Land.
Most of the eastern territory of Jordan consists of desert plateau, with a dry and hot climate. Highland areas located in the west receive more rainfall during the rainy season from November to March. Jabal Ram is the highest point in the country at 1,734 meters.
The region of Jordan has no oil of its own. Its main resources are phosphates, fertilizers and agricultural products. Tourism is a very important sector because of the country's geography and political stability. Jordan's health service is known to be one of the best in the region.
Jordan's environmental issues include deforestation, desertification and limited natural fresh water resources.
Culture
95% of Jordan's population (before the Iraq war) were either from Palestinian origins, or of the Bedouin population from the Hejaz. The remaining 5% come from different ethnic minorities such as Circassians, Chechens, Armenians and Kurds. Islam is the major religion practiced in the country, whereas Christians form approximately 15% of the population.
The culture of Jordan follows Arab traditions as the Kingdom is in the heart of the Middle East. The official language is Arabic, although English is used widely in commerce, government, and is taught at most public and private schools.
Traditional Jordanian music can be distinguished from its neighbouring countries by its Bedouin influence. In Amman, rock bands which mix both eastern and western music are becoming more popular in the past decades.
Football is the most played sport in Jordan, and its popularity is increasing, mostly because of the recent improvements in Jordan's National Football Team. Improvements are also occurring in basketball and in darts.
Interesting Facts
- The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth, with 402 meters below sea level; it becomes one meter lower each year.
- Petra is a complete ancient city carved in a mountain, and the entrance is through a 1.25 km narrow gorge.
See Also
Australia
Brazil
Canada
China
References
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (www.wikipedia.org).
BBC News - Country Profile: Jordan (news.bbc.co.uk).
Jordan facts on National Geographic (www3.nationalgeographic.com).
World Flag Database (www.flags.net).
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* All photographs have been taken by Dr Anto Youssef. For specific informations about a picture, please write to: anto.y@studiodentaire.com. |