The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordon , المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية‎, is in the Middle East at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe.  Jordan borders Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian West Bank.

Jordan is home to more than 10 million people and the country is a bit smaller than Indiana.  Amman is the capital and its largest city.

The area was under the Ottoman Empire for 400 years until the end of WWI.  The Emirate of Transjordan became a British protectorate in 1921.  In 1946, it became the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan and took its current name in 1949.

The country is a constitutional monarchy where the king has wide executive and legislative powers from the government and parliament.

Arabic is the official language and about 95% of the country practices Sunni Islam.  The Jordanian dinar is the official currency.

Jordan is considered to be one of the safest countries in the Middle East.  Along with Egypt, it is one of the only two Arab countries to have signed peace treaties with Israel.

Jordan is part of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) where the EU tries to increase links with its neighbours.  Jordan has "advanced status" allowing for more exports to the European Union.

Here's a short video I found out on YouTube about Jordan.

©Test Tube News