Country Listing Jordan Table of Contents Jordan GEOGRAPHY Size : About 91,880 square kilometers. Topography: Most of East Bank (see Glossary) consists of arid desert. Dead Sea lowest point on surface of earth (more than 400 meters below sea level). Jabal Ramm (1,754 meters) is Jordan's highest point. Except for short coastline on Gulf of Aqaba, country landlocked. SOCIETY Population: In 1987 East Bank populationabout 70 percent urban2.9 million with annual growth rate variously given as between 3.6 and 4 percent. Languages: Almost all Jordanians speak a dialect of Arabic as mother tongue; increasing numbers speak or understand Modern Standard Arabic. Most of those people who have another native language (e.g., Circassians, Armenians) also speak Arabic. Ethnic Groups: Significant distinction between Palestinians (see Glossary) estimated 55 to 60 percent of populationand Transjordanians (see Glossary). Small numbers of non-Arabs originating elsewhere include Circassians, Shishans (Chechens), Armenians, and Kurds. Religion: Most Jordanians Sunni (see Glossary) Muslims; about 2,000 | |
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