The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is an Arab nation in the Middle East. It is bounded to the west by Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank (whose final status is yet to be determined); to the north by Syria; to the east by Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Jordan has an area of 35,637 square miles (92,300 square kilometers) which is roughly the size of Scotland, Portugal, or Maine. Its capital and dominant city is Amman.
The population was estimated to be 5,906,760 in 2006. About 98 percent of all Jordanians are Arabs and many are Palestinian Arab refugees who fled during the Arab-Israeli wars of 1948-49 and 1967. A smaller percentage of the population consists of Jordanians from Circassian, Chechen, and Armenian backgrounds, and a growing number of Iraqis and other foreigners.
Most Jordanians are Muslim but there is a strong Christian minority whose largest group belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church.
The official language is Arabic and English is taught in all public schools beginning in first grade.
Jordan is a constitutional monarchy with a king who is a head of state and also exercises wide powers in the government. He appoints the prime minister, who heads the Council of Ministers.
The unit of currency is the Jordanian dinar.
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