Jordan

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Arabic:المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية), is an Arab country in the Middle East bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the north-east, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, and Israel and the Palestinian Territories to the west. Jordan has a very rich history that History of Jordan|spans thousands of years, and has been ruled by the Hashemites since its independence from the United Kingdom in 1946. Jordan is currently being ruled by His Majesty King Abdullah II, who has reigned since the passing of his father, King Hussein I bin Talal in February of 1999.^[1]

Background

Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the UK received a mandate to govern much of the Middle East. Britain separated out a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from Palestine in the early 1920s, and the area gained its independence in 1946; it adopted the name of Jordan in 1950. The country's long-time ruler was King Hussein I bin Talal (1953-99). A pragmatic leader, 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 peace treaty with Israel. His Majesty King Abdullah II, the son of King HUSSEIN, 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 appointed in November 2005 stated the government would focus on political reforms, improving conditions for the poor, and fighting corruption.^[2]

Travel

Overview^[3]

Visitors to Jordan from non-Arab countries will need a visa, easily obtainable on arrival at most border points. One key exception is the crossing from the West Bank at the King Hussein ("Allenby") Bridge. Visas are available at all other land crossings into Jordan, including the two crossings from Israel at Eilat/Aqaba and the Sheik Hussein Bridge near Irbid. Previously notoriously complex (and expensive), visa prices have finally been standardized for non-Arabs at JD 10 for single entry, JD 20 for multiple entry, though you can recieve a free, one month, ASEZA visa if you arrive in Aqaba with no visa. If you recieve an ASEZA visa, you will still theoretically have to pay the visa fee if you leave the Aqaba economic zone, paid either with your departure tax, or on reentry to the Aqaba zone.

If you stay longer than one month (previously two weeks) you will have to register your passport at a police station. Most 4/5 star hotels will take care of this formality on behalf of their guests, but the process is generally quick and painless. If you fail to register, you will have to pay a 1 JD/day penalty for each day over 30 on your departure. Not expensive, but allow an extra half hour at the airport to complete the process, which will involve standing in a number of different queues.

Airline tickets for foreigners now usually include the 5 JD departure tax in the ticket price.

Check with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the latest situation.

Cities

• Amman — capital of the kingdom
• Zarqa — second largest city in the kingdom
• Irbid — third largest city in the north of the kingdom
• Aqaba — located on the Gulf of Aqaba / Eilat, with links to the Sinai and the Red Sea

Cites

• Jerash — one of the largest Roman ruins in the Middle East
• Kerak — site of a once-mighty Crusader castle
• Madaba — known for its mosaic map of Jerusalem
• Petra — Jordan's top attraction, an ancient city carved out of sandstone
• Wadi Rum — barren, isolated and beautiful, granite cliffs contrasting with desert sand
• Dead Sea — The lowest point on earth and the most saline sea
• Dana Nature Reserve — Stay in a village little changed since the 15th century, enjoy unforgettable hiking in an offshoot of the Great Rift.

Climate

July and August are the hottest and driest months of the year, especially in Amman and the Jordan Valley, and in the desert areas, with temperatures over 97°F (36°C). Spring and autumn are the most pleasant times to visit with clear, sunny days and moderate temperatures. The winter months from November to April can be very cold, particularly in Amman, with snow, rain and wind, but there is little rainfall in the desert regions and in Aqaba, which makes a pleasant wintertime resort.^[4] About 75 percent of the country can be described as having a desert climate with very little annual rainfall.^[5]

Currency

The currency is the Jordanian dinar (JD), divided into 1000 fils. The currency rate is effectively fixed at 0.71 JD per dollar, an unnaturally high rate that makes Jordan poorer value than it would otherwise be. Most upper scale restaurants and shops at shopping malls would also accept US dollars.

Conversation

The national language of Jordan is Arabic. Most Jordanians speak English, especially in urban area such as Amman. French and German are the second and third most popular languages after English. You might encounter some Cauacasian and Armenian languages because of the vast amount of Caucasian immigrants that arrived during the early 1900s.

Cuisine

Jordanian cuisine is quite similar to fare served elsewhere in the region. The daily staple being khobez, a large, flat bread sold in bakeries across the country for a few hundred fils. Delicious when freshly baked, it very quickly loses all flavor as it dries.

For breakfast, the traditional breakfast is usually fried eggs,labaneh,cheese ,zaatar,olive oil along with bread and a cup of tea. Falafel and Homos also became popular. This is the most popular breakfast. Manousheh and pastries come in as the second most popular breakfast item. As of recently, more and more restaurant are starting to offer American style breakfast with omelet and so on.

The national dish of Jordan is the mansaf. Prepared with jameed, a sun-dried yogurt.

Courtesy

Jordan is a very hospitable country to tourists and foreigners will be happy to help you if asked. Jordanians in turn will respect you and your culture if you respect theirs. Respect Islam, the dominant religion, and the King of Jordan, a highly respected and loved ruler among Jordanians.

Standing in Lines : Jordanians have a notable issue with standing in line-ups for service. Often those near the rear of a line will try to sidle forwards and pass those in front of them. The line members being passed, rather than object to this tactic, will often instead start to employ this same trick themselves, on the line members in front of them.

Communications

Most of country has mobile coverage. There are four mobile operators:

• Zain (The first & largest mobile provider)
• MobileCom
• Umniah
• XPress

Card-based temporary numbers can be purchased at the airport or any mobile shop for 10 JDs. These numbers can be subsequently recharged with a prepaid card starting at only one JD.

Contacts

• American - P.O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Tel: 962-6-590-6000, Fax: 962-6-592-0121, E-mail: ResponseAmman@state.gov [1]
• Australian - 3 Youssef Abu Shahhout, Deir Ghbar, Amman (PO Box 35201, Amman 11180), tel (06) 580 7000, fax (06) 580 7001, [2]
• British - (PO Box 87), Abdoun, Amman 11118, tel (962 6) 590 9200 [3]
• Italian - Jabal Al-Weibdeh, Hafiz Ibrahim Str. 5 (P.O.Box 9800 Amman 11191) Tel. (+962.6) 4638185, Fax. (+962.6) 4659730, E-mail: info.amman@esteri.it, [4]

Concerns

Jordan is very safe. Amman is especially very safe. There is virtually no unsafe part of Jordan except at the Iraqi border. Although the rural parts of Jordan have limited infastructures, the fellahin (or village people) will be happy to assist you.

As in all urban areas in the world, Jordan's cities have some health concerns listed below but also keep in mind that Jordan is a center for medical treatment in the Middle East and its world-class hospitals are respected in every part of the world. Just remember to have caution with buying food from vendors, the vendors aren't trying to hurt you but the food might not be cleaned according to western standards. Just think of hot-dog stands in the US when you think of buying food from a vendor.

Technology

Quick Facts^[6]

• The Jordanian Ministry of Information and Communications Technology is the policy maker of information technology, telecommunications, and post in Jordan
• Fastest growing sector in Jordan’s economy (50% growth rate)
• A contribution of 4% to GDP
• More than 16,000 employee (directly in the ICT firms or in ICT divisions in firms)
• Import of IT equipment exceeded $200 million in the last 2 years
• 15 new laws were enacted including labor, Telecom, IPR, and Private shareholding laws
• Many leading companies operate or manufacture products in Jordan
• Jordan has over 600,000 internet users, and eight operating ISP’s
• The PC penetration rate is between 5-6%
• ISDN, ADSL broadband lines, PSTN ISDL, GSM, GPRS, fram-relay, fiber and ATM are available commercially and Blackberry services were launched in 2007.
• Telecommunication equipment imported into Jordan are subject to testing and certification requirements developed by Jordan Institute for Standards and Metrology

Overview^[7]

Information Technology (IT) is one of the growth sectors in Jordan's economy. Opportunities exist in the electronic service areas of banking, commerce, governance, health, learning, accounting, information security, and most recently 3D animation.

The Government of Jordan spends millions of dollars on hardware, software and e-solutions per year. The annual growth rate in the market has ranged from 15-30% per annum over the past few years. In 2003, US IT exports to Jordan totalled $248.5 million.

Jordan has almost 400,000 Internet users; and eight operating ISP's. Five other companies hold licenses for ISP operations. The PC penetration rate is still low, between 5-6%; however ISDN, ADSL broadband lines, frame-relay, fiber and ATM are available commercially.

Jordan has recently expanded IT centers and created a government-wide portal, a VPN, an e-government fast track program for services, e-business, and intra-government operations. Jordan's 3,000 schools will be connected by 2007 and the country's eight universities will be connected by the end of 2004. Also, the Kingdom's 130 post offices are scheduled to offer online facilities to access a range of government services.

Regional Leader

Jordan has one of the most open telecommunications markets in the Middle East and an independent regulator. The mobile market is experiencing fast growth with a very competitive four operator market where new operators Umniah and XPress have had a dramatic impact on the duopoly previously enjoyed by Zian (formerly Fastlink) and MobileCom. This has led to a penetration rate far higher than one would expect for Jordan’s per capita GDP level.^[8]

Hi-Tech Initiatives

His Majesty, King Abdullah II has instituted a programme with a number of private sector companies to put computers into the country's schools. Software has also been designed to run alongside the school curriculum. The King is hoping that the investment in technology and education will be successful so that younger generations in the region would recognise Jordan had been successful, and themselves take risks.

It has been backed by both US technology giants and Jordanian entrepreneurs. ^[9] One such example is Cisco Systems' Jordan Education Initiative (JEI), launched in June 2003. This program is a high-quality education program that harnesses technology to boost development. The initiative, which is being pioneered in Kingdom of Jordan's schools, resulted from an appeal to business leaders at the World Economic Forum in January 2003 by Cisco's chief executive, John Chambers. He called for like-minded companies to work in partnership to narrow the gap between developed and less-developed countries through better education.Cisco: Jordan Education Initiative

Outsourcing Opportunities

Jordan offers a low-cost, educated workforce already conversant in English. Because most university courses are taught in English--and with the American presence here--it was easier for the U.S. team to work with Jordanian developers.^[10]

In a nutshell, Jordan's principal advantages with respect to the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry include^[11]:

• Highly educated and skilled workforce
• Strong private-public partnership and government support
• Modern Legislative Environment
• Adequate infrastructure

In 2005 and in line with His Majesty King Abdullah II's directives, Jordan established a dedicated call center initiative to facilitate the development of this industry and align the investment environment with competitors.^[12]

Both governmental entities such as the Jordanian Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (MoITC) and private business associations such as the Information Technology Association of Jordan (int@j) are active in promoting Jordan as the preferred outsourcing destination across the region^[13][14] .

Education^[15]

Jordan has given great attention to education in particular. Its educational system is of international standards and its secondary education program is accepted in world-class universities. Jordan now has the highest literacy rate in the Arab World and it is still growing.

School education

Secondary education in Jordan, consists of two years of school study after students who have completed the 10-year basic cycle. Secondary education is comprised of two major tracks:

• Secondary education
• Vocational secondary education

Foreign secondary education programs

After completing the 8 or 10 years of basic education, Jordanians are free to choose any foreign secondary education program instead of the Tawjihi examinations (8 for IGCSE, 10 for SAT and IB). Such programs are usually offered by private schools.

Private schools in Jordan also used to offer GCSE examinations, but they have now been replaced by IGCSE examinations.

Higher education

Access to higher education is open to holders of the General Secondary Education Certificate who can then choose between private community colleges, public community colleges or universities (public and private). The credit-hour system, which entitles students to select courses according to a study plan, is implemented at universities. At present, there are eight public universities plus two newly-licensed ones, and thirteen private universities plus four newly-licensed ones. All post-secondary education is the responsibility of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The Ministry includes the Higher Education Council and the Accreditation Council.

Public universities

• The University of Jordan (http://www.ju.edu.jo/)
• Balqa' Applied University (http://www.bau.edu.jo/)
• Yarmouk University (http://portal.yu.edu.jo/)
• Jordan University for Science and Technology (http://www.just.edu.jo/)
• Hashemite University (http://www.hu.edu.jo/)
• Mu’tah University (http://www.mutah.edu.jo/)
• Al Al-Bayt University (http://www.aabu.edu.jo/)
• Al-Hussein Bin Talal University (http://www.ahu.edu.jo/)
• Al-Tafila Technical University (http://www.ttu.edu.jo/)

Private universities

• Amman Private University (http://www.amman.edu/)
• Jordanian University of Applied Science (http://web.asu.edu.jo/about_us/)
• Philadelphia University (http://www.philadelphia.edu.jo/)
• Jerash Private University (http://www.jerashun.edu.jo/)
• The Private University of Irbid (http://www.inu.edu.jo/)
• Petra University (http://www.uop.edu.jo/)
• Princess Sumaya University College for Technology (http://www.psut.edu.jo/)
• Al-Zaytoonah University (http://www.alzaytoonah.edu.jo/)
• Al-Zarqa' Private University (http://www.zpu.edu.jo/)
• Al-Isra' Private University (http://www.isra.edu.jo/)
• German-Jordanian University (http://www.gju.edu.jo/)

Economy

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 Abdullah 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, and making substantial headway with privatization.^[16]

In 2006, Jordan reduced its debt to GDP ratio significantly. The government also has liberalized the trade regime sufficiently to secure Jordan's membership in the WTO (2000)^[17], a free trade accord with the US (2001), and an association agreement with the EU (2001). These measures have helped improve productivity and have put Jordan on the foreign investment map.

Jordan imported most of its oil from Iraq, but the US-led war in Iraq in 2003 made Jordan more dependent on oil from other Gulf nations, and has forced the Jordanian Government to raise retail petroleum product prices and the sales tax base. Jordan's export market, which is heavily dependent on exports to Iraq, was also affected by the war but recovered quickly while contributing to the Iraq recovery effort. The main challenges facing Jordan are reducing dependence on foreign grants, reducing the budget deficit, and attracting investment to promote job creation.