Amman is a new city in an ancient setting. The historical record shows thousands of years of settlement and visitors can see the traces on the Citadel and in downtown Amman. However, modern Amman dates back only to the 1920s, when the Hashemites arrived from the Hijaz in Saudi Arabia to establish Transjordan. At the time Amman had only a small population, mainly Circassian refugees from the political upheavals in the Ottoman and Russian empires. Since the 1920s the city has generally grown in bursts, following political disasters in the region, with influxes of Palestinians in 1948, 1967 and 1991, Lebanese in the early 1980s due to their civil war, and Iraqis in the years following the 1991 Gulf war. Amman’s population is now over 2 million and growing fast.

Politics

Modern Jordan was founded by the Hashemites, with strong support from the British, and the country remains closely identified with their rule. The Emirate of Transjordan was established officially in 1923 and ruled by Emir Abdullah, later King Abdullah I, until his assassination in Jerusalem in 1951. His son Talal ruled briefly, but ill health forced him to hand the thrown to his son Hussein. King Hussein’s 36-year reign, which ended with his death from cancer in 1999, established Jordan as a moderate, open country that had endeavoured to sustain good relations with both its regional neighbours and the global powers. His son, King Abdullah II, is now working hard to put his own imprint on the country with a drive for economic, social and political modernisation.

Religion

Islam is the official religion of Jordan and about 96% of the population is Sunni Muslim. Jordan follows a moderate form of religious observation. Ramadan is observed with a ban on eating, drinking and smoking in public places during daylight hours, but there are no official dress codes and alcohol and pork products are available. The country also has a small Christian population, predominantly Greek Orthodox, but also Catholics and a range of Protestant groups. As a mark of harmony within the Christian community, Jordanian Christians observe Western Christmas and Eastern Easter.

Economy

Over the past couple of years Jordan has been enjoying one of the best periods of economic growth in decades and GDP growth was over 7% in 2004. Business with Iraq has had a major impact and Jordan has emerged as a major gateway for business with its eastern neighbour. The arrival of up to 500,000 Iraqis seeking a temporary home has also boosted the real estate market. Naturally the current conflict in Iraq has had an impact here as well. Jordan has also had a share in the surging oil revenues in the Gulf in the form of investment from both expatriate workers and Gulf businesspeople. The country has been enjoying the benefits of an IMF-supported structural adjustment and liberalisation programme that has put the government budget on a sound basis, reduced foreign debt levels and encouraged higher local and foreign investment.

Population

Jordan’s population is now officially 5.32 million, but the number of residents in the country is possibly higher as expatriate numbers are not exact. Egyptians have traditionally made up the largest expatriate group and are heavily involved in Jordan Valley farming work and non-skilled jobs, while Syrian workers play a role in industry and construction. They have now been joined by an estimated 500,000 Iraqis, including many business and professional people who are using Jordan as a base while they wait for security conditions at home to improve. Other expatriate groups include Sri Lankan and Filipino maids and a small number of Europeans and Americans in specialised jobs. English is widely spoken and it is also common to find speakers of other European languages due to the large number of Jordanians who study abroad, and often bring home foreign wives.