Jordan's Geography | Jordanian Geography

Location: Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates: 31 00 N, 36 00 E

Map references: Middle East

Area: total: 92,300 sq km land: 91,971 sq km water: 329 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries: total: 1,635 km border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 744 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km

Coastline: 26 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate: mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)

Terrain: mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m

Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil

Land use: arable land: 2.67% permanent crops: 1.83% other: 95.5% (2001)

Irrigated land: 750 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: droughts; periodic earthquakes

Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and as the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the occupied West Bank



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