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Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
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Country FlagJordan (Arabic: الأردنّ, transliterated as Al-Urdunn), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Arabic: المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية), is an Arab country in the Middle East in western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the north-east, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, and Israel to the west. It shares with Israel the coastlines of the Dead Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

Administratively, Jordan is divided into 12 governorates, each headed by a governor appointed by the king. They are the sole authorities for all government departments and development projects in their respective areas. The governorates are: Ajlun, Amman, Aqaba, Balqa, Irbid, Jerash, Kerak, Ma'an, Madaba, Mafraq, Tafilah, Zarqa. The governorates are subdivided into approximately fifty-two nahias.

Jordan is a small country with limited natural resources. The country is currently exploring ways to expand its limited water supply and use its existing water resources more efficiently, including through regional cooperation. Jordan also depends on external sources for the majority of its energy requirements.

Tourism is a very important sector of the Jordanian economy, contributing between 10 percent and 12 percent to the country's Gross National Product in 2006. In addition to the country's political stability, the geography offered makes Jordan an attractive tourism destination. Jordan's major tourist activities include numerous ancient places, its unique desert castles and unspoiled natural locations to its cultural and religious sites.

Jordan has a population of 6 million. Most of the Bedouin population descend from the Hejaz or tribal origins and account for around 40-45% of the population. However, 65 to 70% of Jordan’s population are from Palestinian origins, many of whom fled from Palestine to Transjordan and gained citizenship after the Arab-Israeli wars in 1948 and 1967. The remaining 5% of the population come from different ethnic minorities such as Circassians, Chechens, Armenians (13th largest in the world) and Kurds. Many Jordanians are also of Turkish and East European descent, as many Jordanian expatriates who reside in East European countries marry there.

The culture of Jordan, as in its spoken language, values, beliefs, ethnicities is Arabian as the Kingdom is in the heart of the Middle East. Although many people from different regions of the world have come to settle in Jordan, like Carcessions and Chechens, they have long been assimilated in the society and added their richness to the society that subsequently developed.   

 
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