World Factbook
Jordan
Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
88,802 sq km
water
540 sq km
total
89,342 sq km
Climate
mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)
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
Land use
other
87.7% (2023 est.)
forest
0.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
11.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 2.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 8.4% (2023 est.)
Location
Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia, between Israel (to the west) and Iraq
Coastline
26 km
Elevation
lowest point
Dead Sea -431 m
highest point
Jabal Umm ad Dami 1,854 m
mean elevation
812 m
Irrigated land
875 sq km (2022)
Major aquifers
Arabian Aquifer System
Map references
Middle East
Land boundaries
total
1,744 km
border countries
Iraq 179 km; Israel 307 km; Saudi Arabia 731 km; Syria 379 km; West Bank 148 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
3 nm
Natural hazards
droughts; periodic earthquakes; flash floods
Geography - note
strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba; the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the 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)
Natural resources
phosphates, potash, shale oil
Area - comparative
about three-quarters the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Indiana
Geographic coordinates
31 00 N, 36 00 E
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
Major lakes (area sq km)
salt water lake(s)
Dead Sea (shared with Israel and West Bank) - 1,020 sq km note - endorheic hypersaline lake; 9.6 times saltier than the ocean; lake shore is 431 meters below sea level
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Indian Ocean drainage
(Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)