Population: 5,153,378 (July 2001 est.)

Languages: Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes

Background: For most of its history since independence from British administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN (1953-1999). A pragmatic ruler, he successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab...

Currency: Jordanian dinar (JOD, No information)

Data from CIA World Factbook. Click on CIA link for more. Click on map or flag for larger images.