People, Land & Climate

Location

Situated near the southeastern coast of the Mediterranean, Jordan shares borders with Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, the West Bank and Israel to the west, and Saudi Arabia to the east and south.

The land of Jordan and its people have been molded by centuries of passing civilizations. Jordan has always been a crossroad between east and west, and its centrality has given it strategic and economic importance, making it a vital trading and communication link between countries, people and continents.

Area

Jordan's population is estimated at nearly 5.00 million. Jordan's stability in a turbulent region has attracted large numbers of refugees and temporary residents from neighboring regions such as the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. In recent years it has also seen tens of thousands of Jordanian expatriates returning from abroad.

Approximately 78% of Jordan's people reside in major cities. Amman, the capital, comprises 38% of the country's population.

Language

The official language of Jordan is Arabic.

Geography and Climate

Jordan can be divided into three physiographic regions, each with a distinct climate.

1. The highlands comprise mountainous and hilly regions that run through Jordan from north to south. The highlands are by no means uniform. Their altitude varies from 600 to 1600 meters (1969-5249 feet) above sea level. Generally wet and cool, also varies from one area to another. The average temperature in Amman ranges from 8.1 degrees Celsius (46.6 Fahrenheit) in January to 25.1 degrees (77.2 Fahrenheit) in July.

2. The Jordan Rift Valley which also runs along the entire length of Jordan. The Rift Valley plunges to over 400 meters below sea level at the Dead Sea, becoming the lowest spot on earth, and reaches a maximum width of 15 kilometers (9.3 miles). The Rift Valley ends in the south at Aqaba, a tropical resort surrounded by mountains. Aqaba also enjoys a warm, sunny climate throughout the year and is a tourist destination sporting some of the world's most spectacular underwater life.

3. The desert region in the east Jordan is an extension of the Arabian Desert, and forms nearly two-thirds of the country. There is an extreme variation in the climate of the desert between day and night, and between summer and winter. Summer temperatures can exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), while winter nights can be bitterly cold, dry and windy.