5,774,000 (1997). An estimated 4,368,000 people live on the East Bank of the River Jordan; the remainder live on the West Bank, which is now administered by the Palestinian National Authority. Nearly half a million people in East Jordan are classified as Palestinian refugees and are maintained by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. Another quarter of a million people are reckoned to have been displaced by the events of the 1967 Middle East war.

55.6 per sq km.

Amman

1,696,300 (1996).

Jordan shares borders with Israel, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The Dead Sea is to the northwest and the Red Sea to the southwest. A high plateau extends 324km (201 miles) from Syria to Ras en Naqab in the south with the capital of Amman at a height of 800m (2625ft). Northwest of the capital are undulating hills, some forested, others cultivated. The Dead Sea depression, 400m (1300ft) below sea level in the west, is the lowest point on earth. The River Jordan connects the Dead Sea with Lake Tiberias (Israel). To the west of Jordan is the Palestinian National Authority Region. The east of the country is mainly desert. Jordan has a tiny stretch of Red Sea coast, centred on Aqaba.

Constitutional Monarchy since 1952. Head of State: King Abdullah Ibn Hussein since 1999. Head of Government: Prime Minister Abdul Rauf al-Rawabdeh since 1999.

Arabic is the official language. English is also spoken, predominantly in the cities. French, German, Italian and Spanish are also spoken.

Over 90% Sunni Muslim, with Christian and Shi'ite Muslim minorities.

GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from April to September).

220 volts AC, 50Hz. Lamp sockets are screw-type, and there is a wide range of wall sockets.