Jordan

Jordan is a country in Western Asia. It is located at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe, in the Levant region, on the east bank of the Jordan River. Jordan shares borders with Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Israel and the West Bank of Palestine. The Dead Sea is located along its western borders, and the country's coastline is 26 kilometers (16 mi) on the shores of the Red Sea in the far southwest. Amman is the capital and largest city of the country, as well as an economic, political and cultural center.

Modern Jordan has been inhabited by humans since the Paleolithic era. At the end of the Bronze Age, three stable kingdoms arose here: Ammon, Moab and Edom. Later rulers include the Nabataean Empire, the Persian Empire, the Roman Empire, the Rashid, Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, and the Ottoman Empire. Following the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in 1916, during World War I, the Ottoman Empire was divided between Britain and France. The Emirate of Transjordan was founded in 1921 by Hashemite, then by Emir Abdullah I, and the emirate became a British protectorate. In 1946, Jordan became an independent state, officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan, but was renamed the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1949 after the country took over the West Bank during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and annexed it until it was not lost. Israel in 1967. Jordan dropped its territorial claims in 1988 and became the second Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1994. Jordan is one of the founders of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. A sovereign state is a constitutional monarchy, but the king has extensive executive and legislative powers.

Jordan is a semi-arid country covering an area of ​​89,342 km2 (34,495 sq mi) with a population of 10 million, making it the eleventh most populous Arab country. The overwhelming majority, or about 95% of the country's population, are Sunni Muslims with an indigenous Christian minority. Jordan has been repeatedly called an "oasis of stability" in the troubled region of the Middle East. It has barely suffered from the violence that has engulfed the region since the 2010 Arab Spring. Since 1948, Jordan has hosted refugees from several neighboring countries in conflict. According to the 2015 census, there are approximately 2.1 million Palestinian and 1.4 million Syrian refugees in Jordan. The kingdom is also home to thousands of Iraqi Christians fleeing ISIS persecution. While Jordan continues to host refugees, the recent large influx of refugees from Syria has put a serious strain on national resources and infrastructure.

Jordan ranks high on the Human Development Index and has an above average economy. The Jordanian economy, one of the smallest economies in the region, is attractive to foreign investors due to its skilled labor force. The country is a major tourist destination that also attracts medical tourism thanks to its well-developed health sector. However, lack of natural resources, large refugee flows and regional unrest have hampered economic growth.