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Jordan is a relatively small country situated at the junction of the Levantine and Arabian areas of the Middle East. The country is bordered on the north by Syria, to the east by Iraq, and by Saudi Arabia on the east and south. To the west is Israel and the occupied West Bank, while Jordan’s only outlet to the sea, the Gulf of Aqaba, is to the south. Jordan occupies an area of approximately 96,188 square kilometers including the Dead Sea, making it similar in size to Austria or Portugal. However, Jordan’s diverse terrain and landscape belie its actual size, demonstrating a variety usually found only in large countries.
Western Jordan has essentially a Mediterranean climate with a hot, dry summer, a cool, wet winter and two short transitional seasons. However, about 75% of the country can be described as having a desert climate with less than 200 mm. of rain annually. Jordan can be divided into three main geographic and climatic areas: the Jordan Valley, the Mountain Heights Plateau, and the eastern desert, or Badia region.
Page last updated on January 27, 2020Location:
Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia, between Israel (to the west) and Iraq
Geographic coordinates:
31 00 N, 36 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 89,342 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 88,802 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 540 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data): 113
Area - comparative:
about three-quarters the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Indiana
Area comparison map:
about three-quarters the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries:
total: 1,744 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (5): Iraq 179 km, Israel 307 km, Saudi Arabia 731 km, Syria 379 km, West Bank 148 km
Coastline:
26 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
Climate:
mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)
More Climate Details
Terrain:
mostly arid desert plateau; a great north-south geological rift along the west of the country is the dominant topographical feature and includes the Jordan River Valley, the Dead Sea, and the Jordanian Highlands
Elevation:
mean elevation: 812 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
lowest point: Dead Sea -431 m
highest point: Jabal Umm ad Dami 1,854 m
Natural resources:
phosphates, potash, shale oil
Land use:
agricultural land: 11.4% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 2% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 1% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 8.4% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 1.1% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 87.5% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use country ranks ]
Irrigated land:
964 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
Population distribution:
population heavily concentrated in the west, and particularly the northwest, in and around the capital of Amman; a sizeable, but smaller population is located in the southwest along the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba
Jordan Westburgalamo World Geography Textbook
Natural hazards:
droughts; periodic earthquakes; flash floods
Environment - current issues:
limited natural freshwater resources; declining water table; salinity; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; biodiversity and ecosystem damage/loss
Jordan Westburg Mississippi State
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Cached
Geography - note:
strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and as the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the occupied West Bank; the Dead Sea, the lowest point in Asia and the second saltiest body of water in the world (after Lac Assal in Djibouti), lies on Jordan's western border with Israel and the West Bank; Jordan is almost landlocked but does have a 26 km southwestern coastline with a single port, Al 'Aqabah (Aqaba)