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Political pressure groups and leaders:

Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president vice chairman]; Jordan Bar Association [Hussein Mujalli, chairman]; Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim Brotherhood [Salem AL-FALAHAT, controller general]

International organization participation:

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador ZEID Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein, Prince

chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664

FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador David HALE

embassy: Abdun, Amman

mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; Unit 70200, Box 5, APO AE 09892-0200

telephone: [962] (6) 590-6000

FAX: [962] (6) 592-0121

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), representing the Abbassid Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and green, representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles triangle on the hoist side, representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven points on the star represent faith in One God, humanity, national spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations; design is based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I

Economy Jordan

Economy - overview:

Jordan is a small Arab country with insufficient supplies of water, oil, and other natural resources. Poverty, unemployment, and inflation are fundamental problems, but King ABDALLAH II, since assuming the throne in 1999, has undertaken some broad economic reforms in a long-term effort to improve living standards. Since Jordan's graduation from its most recent IMF program in 2002, Amman has continued to follow IMF guidelines, practicing careful monetary policy, making substantial headway with privatization, and opening the trade regime. Jordan's exports have significantly increased under the free trade accord with the US and Jordanian Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ), which allow Jordan to export goods duty free to the US. In 2006, Jordan reduced its debt-to-GDP ratio significantly. These measures have helped improve productivity and have made Jordan more attractive for foreign investment. Before the US-led war in Iraq, Jordan imported most of its oil from Iraq. Since 2003, however, Jordan has been more dependent on oil from other Gulf nations. The government ended subsidies for petroleum and other consumer goods in 2008 in an effort to control the budget. The main challenges facing Jordan are reducing dependence on foreign grants, reducing the budget deficit, attracting investments, and creating jobs.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$27.99 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$16.01 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$4,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.5%

industry: 10.3%

services: 86.2% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

1.563 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 5%

industry: 12.5%

services: 82.5% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:

13.5% official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

14.2% (2002)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.7%

highest 10%: 30.6% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

38.8 (2003)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.4% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):

27.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $5.117 billion

expenditures: $6.468 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt:

72.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Agriculture - products:

citrus, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives; sheep, poultry, stone fruits, strawberries, dairy

Industries:

clothing, phosphate mining, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, potash, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

7.7% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

9.074 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 99.4%

hydro: 0.6%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:

8.49 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports:

4 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports:

741 million kWh (2005)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:

109,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - imports:

106,400 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

1 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

268.5 million cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

1.496 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

1.228 billion cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

5.975 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$2.769 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$5.7 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

clothing, pharmaceuticals, potash, phosphates, fertilizers, vegetables, manufactures;

Exports - partners:

US 25%, Iraq 12.2%, India 7.6%, Saudi Arabia 7.6%, UAE 5.6%, Switzerland 5.3%, Syria 5.2% (2006)

Imports:

$12.02 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

crude oil, textile fabrics, machinery, transport equipment, manufactured goods

Imports - partners:

Saudi Arabia 25.4%, China 10.5%, Germany 7.9%, US 4.8%, Egypt 4.2% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $752 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$7.929 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$8.206 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$10.24 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$29.73 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Jordanian dinar (JOD)

Currency code:

JOD

Exchange rates:

Jordanian dinars per US dollar - 0.709 (2007), 0.709 (2006), 0.709 (2005), 0.709 (2004), 0.709 (2003)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Communications Jordan

Telephones - main lines in use:

614,000 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

4.343 million (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: service has improved recently with increased use of digital switching equipment; microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; growing mobile-cellular usage in both urban and rural areas is reducing use of fixed-line services; Internet penetration remains modest and slow-growing

domestic: 1995 telecommunications law opened all non-fixed-line services to private competition; in 2005, monopoly over fixed-line services terminated and the entire telecommunications sector was opened to competition; mobile-cellular usage is increasing rapidly and teledensity is approaching 75 per 100 persons

international: country code - 962; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe; satellite earth stations - 33 (3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals); fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria; participant in Medarabtel

Radio broadcast stations:

FM 31 (2007)

Radios:

1.66 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

22 (2007)

Televisions:

500,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.jo

Internet hosts:

2,500 (2007)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

5 (2000)

Internet users:

796,900 (2006)

Transportation Jordan

Airports:

17 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 15

over 3,047 m: 7

2,438 to 3,047 m: 6

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 2

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 426 km; oil 49 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 505 km

narrow gauge: 505 km 1.050-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 7,601 km

paved: 7,601 km (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 30 ships (1000 GRT or over) 410,472 GRT/564,643 DWT

by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 11, container 3, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 4

foreign-owned: 15 (UAE 15)

registered in other countries: 15 (Bahamas 2, Panama 11, Syria 2) (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Al 'Aqabah

Military Jordan

Military branches:

Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal Jordanian Navy, Royal Jordanian Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Malakiya al-Urduniya), Special Operations Command (Socom); Public Security Directorate (normally falls under Ministry of Interior, but comes under JAF in wartime or crisis situations) (2006)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription at age 18 was suspended in 1999, although all males under age 37 are required to register; women not subject to conscription, but can volunteer to serve in non-combat military positions (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,812,551

females age 16-49: 1,559,155 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,546,766

females age 16-49: 1,339,366 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

males age 16-49: 68,067

females age 16-49: 65,512 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:

8.6% (2006)

Transnational Issues Jordan

Disputes - international:

approximately two million Iraqis have fled the conflict in Iraq, with the majority taking refuge in Syria and Jordan; 2004 Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pending demarcation

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 1,835,704 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)); 500,000 (Iraq)

IDPs: 160,000 (1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Jordan is a destination and transit country for women and men from South and Southeast Asia trafficked for the purpose of forced labor; Jordan is also a destination for women from Eastern Europe and Morocco for prostitution; women from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines migrate willingly to work as domestic servants, but some are subjected to conditions of forced labor, including unlawful withholding of passports, restrictions on movement, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Jordan is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007, particularly in the area of law enforcement against trafficking for forced labor; the government made minimal efforts to investigate or prosecute numerous allegations related to exploitation of foreign domestic workers; Jordan failed for a second year to criminally prosecute and punish those who committed acts of forced labor; Jordan also continues to lack victim protection services; Jordan has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

This page was last updated on 15 July, 2008

The World Factbook

Kazakhstan

Introduction Kazakhstan

Background:

Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence in 1991 caused many of these newcomers to emigrate. Kazakhstan's economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states combined, largely due to the country's vast natural resources and a recent history of political stability. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; achieving a sustainable economic growth; diversifying the economy outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; enhancing Kazakhstan's competitiveness; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers.

Geography Kazakhstan

Location:

Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural River in eastern-most Europe

Geographic coordinates:

48 00 N, 68 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 2,717,300 sq km

land: 2,669,800 sq km

water: 47,500 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than four times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 12,012 km

border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked); note - Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea, now split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid

Terrain:

extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m

highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m

Natural resources:

major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium

Land use:

arable land: 8.28%

permanent crops: 0.05%

other: 91.67% (2005)

Irrigated land:

35,560 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

109.6 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic / industrial / agricultural):

total: 35 cu km/yr (2%/17%/82%)

per capita: 2,360 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty