Introduction The land of Jordan lies along an ancient and wellused trade route, making it geographically valuable. Many powers have ruled the land, un

Transcription

1

2 Introduction The land of Jordan lies along an ancient and wellused trade route, making it geographically valuable. Many powers have ruled the land, under many different names. The modern Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was established on May 25, The current King Hussein was barely eighteen years old when he took the throne. (Gall, 21)

3 Location Jordan is located on the East Bank of the Jordan River, with the Palestinians as its neighbors on the West Bank. Jordan has three distinct natural zones: the Jordan River valley, which is green and fertile; mountainous regions in the north and south, which have a Mediterranean climate ; and the main bulk of the country, which is an arid desert. (Gall, 22)

4 Language The official and most commonly spoken language of Jordan is Arabic, a language spoken by up to 422 million people worldwide, both as native and non-native speakers. The written form of Arabic is called Classical Arabic, or, for today's literature and press, Modern Standard Arabic. (Gall, 22)

5 Folklore Jordanians are very superstitious people. They are firm believers in fate and omens. When someone is sick or injured, it is believed to be the result of rire (jealousy) and hassad (envy). "Coffee ladies" read fortunes in the dregs of a cup of coffee. (Gall, 22)

6 Religion More than 90 percent of Jordanians are Sunni Muslim, the majority sect of Islam. The remaining Jordanians belong to a wide range of Muslim and Christian sects. Islam impacts almost every aspect of the lives of Jordanians. There is no such thing as the "separation of church and state" in an Islamic country such as Jordan. (Gall, 22)

7 Major Holidays Friday is the Islamic day of rest, so most businesses and services are closed on Fridays. The main Muslim holidays include: Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim year during which everyone fasts from dawn to dusk; and Eid al- Isra wa Al-Miraj, a feast celebrating the nocturnal visit of Muhammad to heaven. (Gall, 22)

8 Rites of Passage Weddings are the most important event in a Jordanian's lifetime. The cost of the celebration is second only to that of buying home. Guest lists can number anywhere from 200 to 2,000 people. Births are also joyfully celebrated, with the mother's family providing the child's first wardrobe and furniture. (Gall, 23)

9 Relationships Jordanians are generally introverted and conservative, yet they are extremely hospitable. When invited to a Jordanian home, a guest is expected to bring nothing and eat everything. In personal encounters, Jordanians are formal and polite. (Gall, 23)

10 Living Conditions Before 1979, few houses had piped water. Most houses still simply have home storage tanks and rely on water deliveries by truck. Due to a severe water shortage, rationing is in effect. About 70 percent of Jordanians live in urban areas, most of them in the capital city of Amman. That is considered one of the clearest parts. (Gall, 23)

11 Family Life Traditional values are very important to Jordanians. Marriages usually result from family introductions, if not outright matches. Couples are almost never forced to marry against their will, however. Upper-middle-class couples court each other in the Western style. One out of five marriages ends in divorce, and divorced women rarely remarry because of the stigma attached to them by society. (Gall, 24)

12 Clothing The Islamic tradition of women covering their faces is currently becoming more popular in Jordan. Everyday Jordanian dress is generally conservative, particularly for women. They are not allowed to wear tight clothes, sleeveless blouses, shorts, short skirts, or low-cut backs on shirts or dresses. (Gall, 25)

13 Food Jordan has one of the world's most elaborate and sophisticated cuisines, mostly taken from its neighbors. Few dishes are unique to Jordan; one unique dish is mansaf, chunks of stewed lamb in a yogurtbased sauce served with rice. (Gall, 26)

14 Education Jordan is a very welleducated country. It has the highest number of university graduates per person in the Arab world. Its main export is skilled labor and professionals to other Arab countries. Jordan also has one of the highest literacy rates in the Arab world. (Gall, 27)

15 Cultural Heritage Islam teaches that it is unholy to depict the human figure. This has significantly shaped Jordanian art. Western-style fine arts became popular in the late twentieth century as more Jordanians traveled to other countries. (Gall, 27)

16 Employment Working conditions are regulated by law, including minimum wages, minimum age for employment, vacation, and sick leave. There is no required retirement age. Unions are legal. Many Jordanians now take jobs for which they are overqualified, simply to survive. Although women are guaranteed equal rights in Jordan's constitution and are just as well-educated as men, women make up only 13 percent of the labor force. (Gall, 27)

17 Sports The most popular sports in Jordan are football (soccer) and basketball. Also enjoyed are horse and camel racing. In the 1950s, car racing was begun as a weekend sport attracting a few spectators. (Gall, 27)

18 Recreation All films in Jordan, both in cinemas and in video form, are censored for kissing and sex scenes. Martial arts and lowgrade action movies are popular among Jordanian youth. Jordan has two domestic television stations. One provides Arabic entertainment and news. (Gall, 28)

19 Crafts and Hobbies There are many traditional folk arts and crafts in Jordan, among them pottery, silver and gold jewelry making, glass blowing, and basket weaving. Textile arts are women's crafts, particularly embroidery and cloth weaving. (Gall, 28)

20 Social Problems Jordan's economy is struggling. This is due to a lack of resources, a large foreign debt, and the problems caused by refugees. These refugees arrived after the 1967 war with Israel and the Persian Gulf War in Almost one-third of the population lives below the poverty level, and the percentage is increasing. (Gall, 28)

21 Topography The Jordan River Valley has a maximum depression of 408 meters (1,338 feet) below sea level at the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the earth's surface. To the east of the Jordan River, the Transjordanian plateaus have an average altitude of 910 meters (3,000 feet), with hills rising to more than 1,650 meters (5,400 feet) in the south.

22 Climate The Jordan Valley has little rainfall, intense summer heat, and mild winters. The desert regions are subject to great extremes of temperature and receive rainfall of less than 20 centimeters (8 inches) annually, while the rest of the country has an average rainfall of up to 58 centimeters (23 inches) a year.

23 Plants and Animals Plants and animals are those common to the eastern Mediterranean and the Syrian Desert. The vegetation ranges from semitropical flora in the Jordan Valley and other regions to shrubs and droughtresistant bushes in the desert. Less than 1% of the land is forested.

24 Origins Neolithic remains from about 7000 BC have been found in Jericho, the oldest known city in the world. In the tenth century BC, the western part of the area of Jordan formed part of the domain of the Hebrew kings David and Solomon. In the fourth century BC, Palestine and Syria were conquered by Alex the Great.

25 Government Jordan is a constitutional monarchy. The king has wide powers over all branches of government, and he chooses the prime minister. The constitution gives legislative power to the national assembly, composed of a 55-member senate and a 110-member lower house, the chamber of deputies. There is universal suffrage at age 18. Women received the right to vote in April 1973.

26 Environment Jordan's principal environmental problems are water shortages, soil erosion caused by overgrazing of goats and sheep, and deforestation. Water pollution is an important issue in Jordan and it is expected that the rate of population growth will place more demands on an already inadequate water supply. Current sources of pollution are sewage, herbicides, and pesticides.

27 Migration In 2000, there were 1,945,000 migrants living in Jordan, accounting for approximately 40% of the total population. Of those migrants, 83% (or about 1,610,100) were refugees. In 2004, Jordan hosted 1.7 million refugees and 12,453 asylum seekers. The estimated net migration rate for 2005 was 6.4 migrants per 1,000 population.

28 Armed Forces In 2005, the Jordanian armed forces had some 100,500 active members. The Army numbered 85,000, the Air Force had 15,000 personnel, and the Navy had about 500 personnel. In that year, the Jordanian defense budget totaled $956 million.

29 During World War I, the British persuaded Sharif Hussein ibn-'ali, the Hashemite ruler of Mecca, to start an Arab revolt against the Turks. After the defeat of the Turks, Palestine and Transjordan were placed under British administration. In 1923, the independence of Transjordan was proclaimed under British supervision, and by 1946, Transjordan attained full independence.

30 Source Citation "Jordanians." Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Ed. Timothy L. Gall and Susan Bevan Gall. Vol. 5. Detroit: UXL, Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Sep "Jordan." Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations. Ed. Timothy L. Gall and Susan Bevan Gall. Online ed. Detroit: U*X*L, Student Resource Center - Junior. Gale. West Mifflin Area High School Library. 25 Sep < et=gsrc&type=retrieve&tabid=t001&prodid=src- 4&docId=EJ &source=gale&srcprod=SRCJ&userGro upname=pl2982&version=1.0>.