World Factbook
Jordan
Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), white, and green; a red isosceles triangle is on the left side, with a small white seven-pointed star in the center meaning: black stands for the Abbassid Caliphate, white for the Ummayyad Caliphate, and green for the Fatimid Caliphate; the triangle stands for the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and the star's points for the seven verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Quran, as well as faith in One God, humanity, national spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations history: the design is based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I
Capital
name
Amman
etymology
in the 13th century B.C., the Ammonites named their primary city Rabbath Ammon; rabbath meant "capital," so the name translated as "The Capital of [the] Ammon[ites];" over time, the name was shortened to Ammon, and then to Amman
time difference
UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
geographic coordinates
31 57 N, 35 56 E
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Citizenship
citizenship by birth
no
citizenship by descent only
the father must be a citizen of Jordan
dual citizenship recognized
yes
residency requirement for naturalization
15 years
Constitution
history
previous 1928 (pre-independence); latest initially adopted 28 November 1947, revised and ratified 1 January 1952
amendment process
constitutional amendments require at least a two-thirds majority vote of both the Senate and the House and ratification by the king
Country name
former
Transjordan
etymology
named for the Jordan River, which makes up part of Jordan's northwest border; the origin of the river's name is unclear, but it may come from a local word meaning "river"
local long form
Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah
local short form
Al Urdun
conventional long form
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
conventional short form
Jordan
Independence
25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
Legal system
mixed system developed from Ottoman Empire codes (based on French law), British common law, and Islamic law
Government type
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Judicial branch
highest court(s)
Court of Cassation or Supreme Court (consists of 15 members, including the chief justice); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members)
subordinate courts
Courts of Appeal; Great Felonies Court; religious courts; military courts; juvenile courts; Land Settlement Courts; Income Tax Court; Higher Administrative Court; Customs Court; special courts including the State Security Court
judge selection and term of office
Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the king; other judges nominated by the Judicial Council, an 11-member judicial policymaking body consisting of high-level judicial officials and judges, and approved by the king; judge tenure not limited; Constitutional Court members appointed by the king for 6-year non-renewable terms with one third of the membership renewed every 2 years
Executive branch
cabinet
Cabinet appointed by the monarch in consultation with the prime minister
chief of state
King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999)
head of government
Prime Minister Jafar HASSAN (since 15 September 2024)
election/appointment process
prime minister appointed by the monarch
National holiday
Independence Day, 25 May (1946)
National color(s)
black, white, green, red
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites
7 (6 cultural, 1 mixed)
selected World Heritage Site locales
Petra (c); Quseir Amra (c); Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa'a) (c); Wadi Rum Protected Area (m); Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas) (c); As-Salt - The Place of Tolerance and Urban Hospitality (c); Umm Al-Jimāl (c)
Political parties
'Azem Blessed Land Party Building and Labor Coalition Eradah Party Growth Party Islamic Action Front or IAF Jordanian al-Ansar Party Jordanian al-Ghad Party Jordanian Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party or JASBP Jordanian Civil Democratic Party Jordanian Communist Party or JCP Jordanian Equality Party Jordanian Democratic People's Party or HASD Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party or JDPUP/Wihda Jordanian Democratic Unionist Party Jordanian Flame Party Jordanian Future and Life Party Jordanian Model Party Jordanian National Integration Party Jordanian National Loyalty Party Jordanian Reform and Renewal Party or Hassad Jordanian Shura Party Jordanian Social Democratic Party or JSDP Justice and Reform Party or JRP Labor Party National Charter Party National Coalition Party National Constitutional Party National Current Party or NCP National Islamic Party National Union Nationalist Movement Party or Hsq New Path Party Progress Party
Legislative branch
legislature name
National Assembly (Majlis Al-Umma)
legislative structure
bicameral
National anthem(s)
title
"As-salam al-malaki al-urdoni" (Long Live the King of Jordan)
history
adopted 1946; the shortened version of the anthem is most commonly used; the full version is reserved for special occasions
lyrics/music
Abdul-Mone'm al-RIFAI'/Abdul-Qader al-TANEER
National symbol(s)
eagle
Administrative divisions
12 governorates ( muhafazat , singular - muhafazah ); 'Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, Al ‘Asimah (Amman), At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba
Legislative branch - lower chamber
note
note: the total number of Chamber of Deputies' seats increased to 138 from 130 for the September 2024 election
chamber name
House of Representatives (Majlis Al-Nuwaab)
term in office
4 years
number of seats
138 (all directly elected)
electoral system
mixed system
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
9/10/2024
expected date of next election
September 2028
percentage of women in chamber
19.6%
Legislative branch - upper chamber
chamber name
Senate (Majlis Al-Aayan)
term in office
4 years
number of seats
69 (all appointed)
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
10/24/2024
expected date of next election
October 2028
percentage of women in chamber
14.5%
Diplomatic representation in the US
FAX
[1] (202) 966-3110
chancery
3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone
[1] (202) 966-2664
chief of mission
Ambassador Dina Khalil Tawfiq KAWAR (since 27 June 2016)
email address and website
hkjconsular@jordanembassyus.org http://www.jordanembassyus.org/
Diplomatic representation from the US
FAX
[962] (6) 592-0163
embassy
Abdoun, Al-Umawyeen St., Amman
telephone
[962] (6) 590-6000
mailing address
6050 Amman Place, Washington DC 20521-6050
chief of mission
Ambassador James HOLTSNIDER (since 7 December 2025)
email address and website
Amman-ACS@state.gov https://jo.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, CD, CICA, EBRD, FAO, G-11, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM, NATO (partner), OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction