Welcome to Jordan!
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was founded by King Abdullah I after World War I. It was ruled by his grandson, the late King Hussein, for 46 years until his death in 1999, when his son, King Abdullah II, assumed the throne. Jordan has grown into a modern nation that has enjoyed a remarkable measure of peace, stability and economic growth in recent decades.
Jordan is located in the heart of the Middle East, Northwest of Saudi Arabia, south of Syria, Southwest of Iraq, and east of Israel and the Occupied West Bank. Jordan has access to the Red Sea via the port city of Aqaba, located at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba.
Quick Facts:
- Capital: Amman
- Population: 10,583,821 (2020 est.)
- Area: 89,342 sq. km
- The Government: Jordan is an absolute monarchy with a representative government. The reigning monarch, His Majesty King Abdullah II, is the Head of State, the Chief Executive and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces. The king exercises his executive authority through the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, or Cabinet.
- Language: Arabic is the official language, but English is widely spoken.
- Currency and Exchange Rates: Jordan’s currency is the Jordanian Dinar, or JD. It is subdivided into 1000 fils, or 100 qirsh or piasters. Jordanian paper notes appear in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50. Coins come in denominations of 1 JD, 0.5 JD, 0.25 JD, and 100, 50, 25, 10 and 5 fils.
The rate of exchange is 1JD =1.4 $ =1.29 €
- Time: Winter: October – March: GMT + 2. Summer: April – September: GMT + 3.
- Climate and Geography: Jordan has a combination of Mediterranean and arid desert climates, with Mediterranean climates prevailing in the north and west of the country, while the majority of the country is desert. Generally, the country has warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters, with annual average temperatures ranging from 12 to 25 C and summertime highs reaching the 40 C in the desert regions.
- Electrical Current: 220 AC volts, 50 cycles, requiring rounded two-prong wall plugs. Visitors from the US will need a transformer, which most hotels can provide.
- Water is a precious resource in Jordan and visitors are encouraged not to waste it. Hotels rated 3 stars and up have their own water filtering systems and their water is considered safe to drink. Elsewhere, bottled water is inexpensive and readily available.
- Communication: Telephone services within Jordan are efficient and reliable. Directories in Arabic and English are widely available and international calls can be made from public and private phones. There are 2 communication companies in Jordan: Orange, Zain, and Umniah.