The Government
The Hashemite Kingdom of jordan in an independent sovereign Arab State. It´s system of government is parliamentary with a hereditary monarchy. 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. The cabinet is responsible before the elected House of Deputies which, along with the House od Notables (Senate), constitutes the legislative branch of the government. The judicial branch is an independent branch of the government. Since 1989, all elements of the Jordanian political spectrum have embarked together on a road to greater democracy, liberalization and consensus building. These reforms, which were guided by the Late King Hussein, have placed Jordan on an irreversible road to democratization. The result has been greater empowerment and involvement of everyday citizen in Jordan´s civic life, contributing to increased stability and institutionalization which will benefit the country far into the future.
Population
5 160 000
Location
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.
Area
Total: 89 213 sq. Km
Land: 88 884 sq. Km
Water: 329 sq. Km
Language
Arabic is the official language, but English is spoken widely, especially in business.
Climate and Geography
Jordan has a combination of Mediterranean and arid desert climates, with Mediterranean 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 40s in the desert regions. Rainfall averages vary from 50mm annually in the desert to as much as 800mm in the northern hills, some of which falls as snow in some years.
Currency
Jordan´s currency is the Jordanian Dinar (JD). It is subdivided into 1000 fils, or 100 qirsh or piasters.
Banknotes: 50, 20, 10, 5, 1 and 0.5 JD denominations.
Coins: 1, 0.5, 0.25 JD and 100, 50, 25, 10 and 5 fils.
Business Hours
Fridays and Saturdays are the weekly holiday as government offices, banks and most offices are closed. Government departments are open from 8:00 to 15:00 daily from Sunday to Thursday.
Public Holidays
January 1 – New Year
Shawal 1st for Eid Al Fitr (4 days)
Thu´l – Hijjh – 10th Eid Al Adha (5 days)
Muharram 1st Hijra New Year
May 1 – Labor Day
May 25 – Independence Day
12 Rabi´ 1 Prophet´s Birthday
December 25 – Christmas
Time
Time is GMT +2 in winter and + 3 in summer.
Summer time is observed from April till September.
Some important sites in Jordan include:
Petra
Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea
Aqaba and the Red Sea
Karak
Madaba
Wadi Rum
Bethany beyond the Jordan
Umm Qais
Ma´in Hot Springs
Jerash