Fast Facts About Jordan
Name Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Independence May 25, 1946
Government Constitutional Monarchy
King Abdullah II
Queen Rania
Capital Amman
Population 10.492
Language Arabic; English widely spoken
Religion Sunni Muslim 92% Christian 6% Misc 2%
International Airports Queen Alia-Amman
King Hussein-Aqaba
Lowest Point Dead Sea (-408m)
Highest Point Amman Jabal Umm ad Dam (1,854m)
Electric 220V
Time UTC +2
Currency Dinar and fils. Coins are 10, 25, 50, 100, 250 and 500 fils, and one dinar. Notes come in denominations of JD1,5, 10, 20 and 50
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a country that has seen the rise and fall of many great civilizations. It is a young nation, founded on one of the oldest, continually inhabited pieces of ground on earth. Dozens of civilizations have laid claim to Jordan's lands as a result of the importance of the trade routes linking Europe, Africa and Asia. Nabataeans, Greeks, Romans, Persians and Islamic caliphs all preceded the Turks and European powers.
Jordan is also a Kingdom of many ethnic backgrounds. Circassians, Chechens, Armenians, Kurds, and Bosnians embellish the Jordanian patchwork, alongside the local Arab people. Since Jordan’s birth as a nation in 1946, it has also absorbed several other waves of immigration from Palestine, Iraq, and Syria.
As a cradle of civilizations, Jordan retains a rich
diversity in appearance and culture combining
both modernity and tradition. It remains today
as an oasis of peace and coexistence.