Country · Asia
Jordan
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Jordan is a country in Western Asia. About 10 million people live there, in an area of 89 342 square kilometres. Its capital city is Amman.
Picture credit: Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Fallaner (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Daniel Case (CC BY-SA 3.0) · David Bjorgen (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Berthold Werner (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Jordan?
Jordan lies in Western Asia, on the continent of Asia.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 3 451 km from the equator.
Its coastline is about 26 km long.
It shares a border with 5 countries: Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
How big is Jordan?
Jordan covers 89 342 square kilometres.
That is about 2.2 times the size of Switzerland.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 110th largest.
Spread everybody out evenly and you get about 111.4 people on every square kilometre.
That is busier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Jordan?
About 10 million people live in Jordan.
That is the 89th biggest population in the world.
People here speak Arabic.
They pay with the Jordanian dinar (د.ا).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 77 years.
The land of Jordan
The land of Jordan sits on average 812 metres above sea level.
Its coast runs for about 26 km. Walking it end to end, at twenty kilometres a day, would take roughly 1 days.
It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Jordan different?
A dish the country is known for: Mansaf.
Websites from here often end in .jo.
Jordan and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about one lives in Jordan.
It takes up about 0.07 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Asia the country ranks 31st of 46 by size, and 26th by population.
Jordan and its neighbours
Saudi Arabia, its largest neighbour, is about 24.1 times bigger.
Saudi Arabia has more people: 33.7 million against 10 million.
Nature and animals
The highest mountain in the country is Jabal Umm ad-Dami, at 1 854 metres. The longest river in the country is the Zarqa River. The largest lake in the country is Dead Sea. And one of the wonders of the world stands here: Petra.
How big is Jordan compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 105 times as big as Jordan: 9 372 610 km² against 89 342 km².
- The United Kingdom is about 2.7 times as big as Jordan: 242 900 km² against 89 342 km².
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Jordan?
The capital of Jordan is Amman. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in Jordan?
About 10 million people live in Jordan, which makes it the 89th most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border Jordan?
Jordan borders Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Syria — 5 neighbours in total.
How big is Jordan?
Jordan covers 89 342 square kilometres, making it the 110th largest country in the world. That is about 2.2 times the size of Switzerland.
What is the highest mountain in Jordan?
The highest mountain in Jordan is Jabal Umm ad-Dami, 1 854 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Jordan?
The longest river in Jordan is the Zarqa River, about 65 kilometres long.
What is the largest lake in Jordan?
The largest lake in Jordan is Dead Sea. The whole lake covers about 605 km², and part of it belongs to neighbouring countries.
Which continent is Jordan in?
Jordan is in Asia, in the part called Western Asia.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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