Jordan - Tourism and Travel

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a country in southwest Asia.

Jordan has an area of 34,443 square miles (89,206 square kilometers).

Most of Jordan consists of rocky desert plateau.

In the southwest, there is a short coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba, which is at the northern end of the Red Sea.

The Great Rift Valley lies in the west, along the border with Israel, where the the land drops below sea level to the Jordan River and the Dead Sea.

At 300 feet (400 meters) below sea level, the Dead Sea shores are the lowest land region on the Earth's surface. The Jordan River, which runs along the Great Rift Valley, feeds into the Dead Sea, which itself has no outlet to the sea.

The Dead Sea has an extremely high saline concentration.

As use of the Jordan of the Jordan River for irrigation has been increasing, water levels in the Dead Sea have been falling.

Jordan has a hot, dry climate.

The capital of Jordan is Amman.

6,316,000 people live in Jordan.

98% are Arab, 1% are Circassian and 1% are Armenian.

Most of them live in the northwestern part of the country.

Arabic is the official language.

92% of the people are Muslim, mostly Sunni Muslim.

Tourism is an important source of foreign income.

Many visitors to Jordan come to see the city of Petra, which was built around 400 BC. Petra was built by the Nabatean people. Construction of the city, which was carved from rose-colored limestone, was paid for by the spice trade.

Petra is located in a canyon in southern Jordan. It flows along the El Beqaa valley, a fertile valley between the Anti-Lebanon and the Jebel Liban mountains.

Jordan's primary exports are fruits, vegetables, potash, phosphates and pharmaceuticals.

Remittances from workers abroad contribute a great deal to the economy.

Jordan depends on foreign aid.

The government of Jordan is a monarchy.

Jordan's official currency is the Jordanian dinar, which is equal to 100 fils.