Background: For most of its history since independence from British administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN (1953-99). A pragmatic ruler, he successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, despite several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he reinstituted parliamentary elections and gradual political liberalization; in 1994 he signed a formal peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH II - the eldest son of King HUSSEIN and Princess MUNA - assumed the throne following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power and undertaken an aggressive economic reform program. Jordan acceded to the World Trade Organization in 2000, and began to participate in the European Free Trade Association in 2001. After a two-year delay, parliamentary and municipal elections took place in the summer of 2003. The Prime Minister and government appointed in April 2005 declared they would build upon the previous government's achievements to respect political and human rights and improve living standards.
May 6th 2008Middle East » Jordan » South » Aqaba Jordan - Aqaba
Aqaba (Arabic: العقبة, Al-ʻAqabah) is a coastal town in the far south of Jordan. The town is best known today as a scuba diving/ snor ... 3 photos[full story]
May 15th 2008Middle East » Jordan » North » Amman Today was very hot! It was the warmest day since i have been here, luckily it is nice out right now but then again it is 11:15pm while it is 4:pm EST. We began our day like usual discussing the readin ... [full story]
May 15th 2008Middle East » Jordan » North » Amman Today we went back to the market and was able to walk around for a few hours. Then we went to a restaurant that served Jordanian food, it was very good and there was alot of food! It was a very nice t ... [full story]
May 14th 2008Middle East » Jordan » North » Amman Last night I arrived in Jordan around 7pm. The process of getting into the country was easier than it was to get into Cairo for my layover! We arrived and got our visas, then our bags, and then heade ... [full story]
May 14th 2008Middle East » Jordan » North » Amman So, we finally made it to Jordan last night a bit after 7:00pm here and 12:00pm your time. We set our room up and went to bed. Class starts at 9:00am each day. This morning we had our first experience ... [full story]
May 4th 2008Middle East » Jordan » South » Petra Boy was Day 5 a big day. This was the Petra day and our tour guide got us up rather nice and early so that we could get into Petra before all the crowds arrived. I have to say that if we were getting ... 15 photos[full story]
April 30th 2008Middle East » Jordan » South » Petra we left dahab and took a busride up to the gulf of aquaba, which is where egypt,israel and jordan meet. we took a ferry from egypt to jordan and then another few hour bus ride to wadi musa. this is ... 24 photos[full story]
May 3rd 2008Middle East » Jordan » South » Wadi Rum We woke up this morning in our camp site at Wadi Rum. The night in Wadi Rum was really quite freezing and it is only because Dave is so warm and toasty that I actually managed to survive the night at ... 9 photos[full story]
May 2nd 2008Middle East » Jordan » West » Al Karak Today was a massive day. We joined our tour group in the morning at about 9am at the Shepherd Hotel in Amman. They had all only just arrived from the UK at about 2am. We were the only people doing a ... 5 photos[full story]
May 7th 2008Middle East » Jordan » North » Jerash After the massive walking of yesterday both Dave and Chelle were completely exhausted. So it was with great joy they woke up and hopped into a rental car for a full day of more walking and sightseeing ... 15 photos[full story]
Map of Jordan
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