By: Liz Trump & Katelyn Aldridge

The Land

• Three main areas; the Jordan Valley, the Mountain Heights Plateau, and the eastern desert (Badia region)

• Jordan Valley• Nation’s most fertile region• Contains Jordan River; 20-30 meters wide

• Mountain Heights Plateau• Separates the Valley from the desert• The entire length of the western part of the country

• To the west of Jordan is Israel and to the east is Saudi Arabia and Iraq. To the north lies Syria.

• The Dead Sea is part of the border line for Jordan and Israel.

• No fish live in the Dead Sea because of its saltiness.

Climate/Vegetation

• Rainy season from November to April; dry weather rest of the year

• With hot, dry summers and cool winters, country has Mediterranean-style climate

• Popular wildlife consist of: Oryx, oxen, and the ibex.• Also popular are the Arabian horse, camels and

donkeys.• The common flora are the olive, eucalyptus and cedar

trees as well as the black iris which is the national flower.

Government

• Monarchy– Ruled by King Abdullah II– Prime Minister, Marouf al-Bakhit– Deputy Prime Minister, Zlad Fareiz

• Population is about 6,198,677

Historical & Current Events

• Jordan was known as the most safest country until late 2005 when dozens of people were killed in suicide bomb attacks on hotels in the capital. Iraq-based Islamic militants claimed responsibility.

• King Hussein had survived wars, and even assassination attempts. At the age of 63, he died from cancer. His brother was to be his heir, until his son was a little older.

Economy• Manufactures limit to the basic items such as

clothing, construction materials and consumer goods.

• Major exports are clothing, fertilizers and agricultural products.

• Leading trade partners are the United States, Saudi Arabia and Iraq

• Jordan literacy rate is about 90% • 15% of population was unemployed in the year 2000• The official currency is the Jordanian dinar, which

can be subdivided into 100 piastres or fils.

Culture• Official Language is Arabic• Over 90% of the population is Muslim and about 5% are

Christians • Traditional male clothing consists of tunic, pants and

elaborate over garment with a sash or a belt• The female clothing has more of a variety in decoration with

different colors and embroideries. They wear sashes over their heads and have long dresses.

• Rice, flat breads, olives, lamb or chicken, yogurt, veggies and fruits are the basic ingredients for most of their dishes.

• Mansaf is the national dish which is made up of lamb in dry yogurt. It is served on flat bread and with rice.

Mansaf

Traditional Men Dress

Traditional Women Dress

Places to Visit • Pella

• The favorite archeological place; has old artifacts, like a small medieval mosque

• Amman• Has a unique blend of old and new with

traditional coffee shops and art workshops• Petra’s Byzantine Church

• Was built around 450 A.D; has two aisles that have mosaics, pictures of mythological animals, Noah’s ark animals and the seasons

Works Cited

• http://na.visitjordan.com/ February 19, 2009• http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0859062.html February 24,

2009• http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/geo_env2.html February 24, 2009• http://student.britannica.com/comptons/article-203293/Jordan

February 25, 2009• www.bbcnews.com February 26, 2009