Simple directory > Regional > Jordan

Country :Jordan Official name: Al Mamlaka al Urduniya al Hashemiya (The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan) Head of State: King Abdullah II (crowned Feb 1999) Head of government: Prime Minister Marouf Bakheet (from 24 Nov 2005) Ruling party: National Constitutional Party (NCP) (pro-monarchy coalition formed from a union of nine centrist parties) Area: 91,860 square km Population: 5.80 million (2004) Capital: Amman Official language: Arabic Currency: Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils Exchange rate: JD0.71 per US$ (Nov 2004) GDP per capita: US$1,820 (2003) GDP real growth: 3.10% (2003) Labour force: 1.36 million (2003) Unemployment: 15.00% (2003) (official) Inflation: 2.50% (2003) Balance of trade: -US$2.40 billion (2003) Foreign debt: US$8.20 billion (2003) Annual FDI: US$800.00 million (end-2003)

Historical profile

The Ottoman Empire entered the First World War on Germany's side and after the defeat, the British and French agreed a division of spheres of influence in the Middle East. The territory constituting present-day Jordan and Israel was awarded to Great Britain as a mandate by the League of Nations.

1923 The British divided the mandate into two parts, designating all lands west of the Jordan River as Palestine and those east of the river as Transjordan.

1928 Transjordan obtained qualified independence in a treaty with Great Britain.

1946 Transjordan achieved full independence as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan under the Emir, who took the title of King Abdullah.

1948 First Arab war against Israel. The Jews defeated the Arab forces and declared the state of Israel.

1950 A post-war agreement united Jordan with the part of Palestine remaining in Arab hands (the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, but excluding the Gaza Strip).

1951 King Abdullah was assassinated and was succeeded by his son, Talal bin Abdullah.

1953 Hussein bin Talal formally took power as King Hussein after his father, Talal bin Abdullah, stepped down due to mental illness.

1956 King Hussein banned political parties.

1967 Six Day War. Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip and re-unified Jerusalem; 300,000 Palestinian Arabs fled to Jordan.

1978--84 The House of Representatives (parliament) was temporarily replaced during these years by a National Consultative Council appointed by the King.

1988 The House of Representatives was dissolved, prior to King Hussein's announcement of the severance of all administrative and legal ties with the West Bank.

1989 Elections were held for a new parliament.

1992 Parliament authorised political parties for the first time since they were banned by King Hussein 36 years previously. Voting reform involved changing the 1986 election law to a one-person, one-vote system.

1993 Multi-party elections were held.

1994 The Jordan-Israel Peace Treaty was signed at Wadi Araba, Jordan, following the opening of the first border crossing between Aqaba (Jordan) and Eilat (Israel).

1997 The parliamentary elections were boycotted by nine opposition parties, led by the Islamic Action Front (IAF). The Islamists said the electoral law favoured the rural constituencies, where support for the King was strong, over the towns, where nearly half of Jordan's population live. The elections were won by the National Constitutional Party (NCP), a pro-monarchy coalition formed from the union of nine centrist parties.

1999 King Hussein appointed his eldest son, Abdullah bin Hussein, as crown prince and heir, replacing Prince Hassan, the King's brother, who had been appointed crown prince in 1965. King Hussein, who had been treated for cancer for many years, died and Abdullah bin Hussein was crowned King Abdullah II.

2000 King Abdullah II made a historic visit to the state of Israel. Jordan joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

2001 In 2001, King Abdullah II and presidents Bashar al Assad of Syria and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt inaugurated a US$300 million electricity line linking the grids of the three countries.

2002 Prime Minister Ali Abu al Ragheb's government resigned in January. He formed a new cabinet at King Abdullah's request.

2003 King Abdullah II ratified an amended law adding six women members to the women's share in the parliament. Allies of the King won the 17 June parliamentary elections. On 21 July, Prime Minister Ali Abu al Ragheb formed a new government, but in October, he resigned. On 22 October, Faisal al Fayez was asked by the King to form a government.

2004 In February, King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar al Assad launched the Wahdah Dam project. Israel and Jordan agreed a joint project to build a desert science centre on their shared border.

2005 After the Sharm El Sheikh summit in Egypt, at which a truce was signed by Israel and Palestine, Egypt and Jordan agreed to return their ambassadors to Israel. On 5 April, Prime Minister Faisal al Fayez's government resigned; King Abdullah II named Adnan Badran as the new prime minister.

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