Facts about Jordan

Jordan is a country in Western Asia. Amman is the capital city, as well as the largest city in the country. Arabic is the country’s national language, and the Jordanian dinar is the country’s national currency. The national name of the country is Al Mamlaka Al Urduniya Al Hashemiyah. Similarly, “as-Salam al-Malaki al-Urduni” is the country’s national anthem, and the Jordan River is the country’s principal river. Sinai rosefinch is the country’s national bird, and the Black iris is the national flower. Furthermore, Figs is the country’s national fruit, and the Arabian oryx is the national animal. Additionally, Football is the country’s national sport, and Mount Tabor oak is the country's national tree. With these interesting facts about Jordan, let’s learn more about the history, culture, religion, people, industries, tourism, tradition, and many more.

Quick facts about Jordan

The official name of Jordan: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Area: 89,342 km2
Population(2022): 10.37 million
Population density: 115 per kilometers Square
GDP (PPP)(2020): $102.158 billion
GDP Per Capita (nominal): $4,174
Continent: Asia
Capital: Amman
Spoken Language: Arabic, English, Chechen, Russian, Tagalog, Circassian, Armenian, German, and French are some highly spoken languages in the country.
Official Languages: Arabic
Largest by area: 110th largest country
Religion: Islam: 95%, Christianity: 4%, Druze, Baháʼí: 1%
Government: Unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy (de jure), Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy (de facto)
Currency: Jordanian dinar (JOD)
Calling Code: +962
Time Zone: UTC+2 (EET), Summer (DST) : UTC+3 (EEST)
Jordan is situated at the crossroad of Europe, Africa, and Asia. It is the eleventh most populous Arab country. The country is one of the popular tourist destinations. Also, Jordan attracts lots of medical tourists due to its good development of the health sector. Jordan has a lack of natural resources but it is the epic center of refugees. Around 4 million Palestinian and Syrian refugees are present in Jordan. Further, Jordan has a high Human Development Index, ranking 102nd, and the country is considered an upper-middle-income economy.

10 Interesting facts about Jordan

1. Bordering countries of Jordan

The country shares its land border with five countries. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and east, Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, and Palestinian and Israel to the west.
Further, It also shares borders with West Bank and the Dead Sea in the west. The dead sea is the lowest point on this planet (earth). And the sea has ten times the amount of salt than any sea on the earth.

2. Jordan gets its name from its own river

Jordan gets its name from its own river Jordan. It is an ancient Semitic name from the Aramaic meaning to "descend". It references its dropping elevation from Mt Hermon to the depths of the dead sea. This is one of the popular interesting facts about Jordan.

3. Driest country in the world

Jordan is one of the world's most water-scarce nations, with an annual per capita water supply is around 145 cubic meters. It is one of the four water-scarce nations on the earth.

4. The capital city of Jordan

Amman, the capital city of Jordan was named Philadelphia after the Greek ruler of Egypt, Ptolemy Philadelphus in circa 218 B.C.
Philadelphus is a Latinized form of ancient Greek "Philadelphos" meaning "brotherly love".
Also, Amman is one of the oldest cities in the world, with the first settlements dating back to 7250 B.C.

5. The Safest country in the middle east

The kingdom of Jordan is deemed as the safest country in the middle east. Jordan has been greatly hospitable, accepting refugees from its neighbor's conflicts countries. In midst of surrounding turmoil, Jordan is a country where both citizens and tourists can feel safe. This is one of the popular interesting facts about Jordan.

6. Wonders of the world

The ancient city of Petra is one of the new 7 wonders of the world. This city is unique and literally carved into stone. It was once the capital of the Arab Nabatean Kingdom, and it has been standing for over 2300 years. The ancient city of Petra was built in 312 B.C. This is one of the popular interesting facts about Jordan.

7. Place where Moses is Resting

Mount Nebo of Jordan is a biblical site of major significance. Once Moses ascended Mount Nebo to view the land of Israel, he was commanded by God to not come down. According to tradition, Moses died and his remains still lie.
Who is Moses?
Moses is the most important Jewish prophet. He wrote the Torah and led the Israelites out of Egypt and across the red sea.

8. The valley of the Moon

Wadi Rum or the valley of the moon is an epic 720 square km desert wilderness. Wadi Rum is so unique thus, it was featured in many movies like Transformers, The martian, and Lawrence of Arabia.
The mountains and sand in the desert valley look like mars because of their red color. And the color of the mountains and sand has red due to the presence of iron oxide. This is one of the popular interesting facts about Jordan.

9. The country also face a long war

In 1948, during the Arab-Israeli war, Jordan declared war on Israel. In 1950 they managed to annex the West Bank and kept it until the 1967 six-day war.
Jordan and Israel were officially at war for 46 years, between 1948 and 1994. In 1994, Jordan-Isreal signed in a Peace treaty and end the war. The county has a history of facing a long war.
Today, Jordan is among the most politically liberal countries in the Arab world.

10. Some popular cuisines of Jordan

Jordan is very rich in culture and cuisines. Some of the popular cuisines are Maqloobeh, Freekeh, the bedouin style Zarb, Kanafeh, and mansaf. Mansaf is the national dish of the country. It is a delicious lamb dish cooked with yogurt (jameed) and usually served with rice topped with pine nuts.
These are some popular interesting facts about Jordan.

Jordan facts

• Jordan is the three least oil-producing countries in the middle east after Isreal and Lebanon.
• Alcohol is totally legal in Jordan.
• Tourism is the main source of income for the country. And, it employs a lot of people.
• Jordan gained its independence in 1946. The country was a British protectorate for 25 years.
• The county has a short coastline and it is only 16 miles (26 km) long.
• There are more than 100,000 archaeological and tourist sites in Jordan.
• The Jawa Dam is the oldest dam in the world, and it was built dates back to the 4th millennium BC.
• Jordan won its first gold medal in Olympics. The medal winner was Ahmad Abu Ghaush and he won the medal in Taekwondo.
• Jordan is one of the least forested countries in the world, and the forests account for less than 2% of the country's land. In the northern mountains of the country, you can see the forests. And in the rest of the other parts of the country, you cannot see any forest.
• The long-eared hedgehog is highly found in Jorden.
• Abdullah II is the king of Jordan, and he has been in power since 1921.
• Jordan was the first Arab country that allows female police officers.
• Ain Ghazal Statues of Jordan is one of the oldest statues in the world.
• Umm Qais in the north to Aqaba in the south is the popular trail in Jordan that stretches for 402 miles and by the trail, you can walk across Jordan.
• In Jordan, it is considered polite to refuse the offer of a meal three times before final acceptance.

These are some popular interesting Jordan facts.

In Conclusion

In this article, we discussed some interesting facts about Jordan. After reading this article, you might gain some knowledge about Jordan. If you have still queries and want to learn more about the country, then please comment to us. Furthermore, if you already visited this beautiful country, and want to add more interesting facts to this article that are not included in the article above, please comment to us. Also, share your take on this article.