In-Country ~ History

The land that became Jordan is part of the historically rich Fertile Crescent region. Around 2000 B.C., Semitic Amorites settled around the Jordan River in the area called Canaan. Subsequent invaders and settlers included Hittites, Egyptians, Israelites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arab Muslims, Christian Crusaders, Mameluks, Ottoman Turks, and, finally, the British. At the end of World War I, the League of Nations as the mandate for Palestine and Transjordan awarded the territory now comprising Israel, Jordan, the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem to the United Kingdom. In 1922, the British divided the mandate by establishing the semiautonomous Emirate of Transjordan, ruled by the Hashemite Prince Abdullah, while continuing the administration of Palestine under a British High Commissioner. The mandate over Transjordan ended on May 22, 1946; on May 25, the country became the independent Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. It ended its special defense treaty relationship with the United Kingdom in 1957.

Transjordan was one of the Arab states which moved to assist Palestinian nationalists opposed to the creation of Israel in May 1948 and took part in the warfare between the Arab states and the newly founded State of Israel. The armistice agreements of April 3, 1949 left Jordan in control of the West Bank and provided that the armistice demarcation lines were without prejudice to future territorial settlements or boundary lines.

In 1950, the country was renamed the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to include those portions of Palestine annexed by King Abdullah. While recognizing Jordanian administration over the West Bank, the United States maintained the position that ultimate sovereignty was subject to future agreement.

Jordan signed a mutual defense pact in May 1967 with Egypt, and it participated in the June 1967 war between Israel and the Arab states of Syria, Egypt, and Iraq. During the war, Israel gained control of the West Bank and all of Jerusalem. In 1988, Jordan renounced all claims to the West Bank but retained an administrative role pending a final settlement, and its 1994 treaty with Israel allowed for a continuing Jordanian role in Muslim holy places in Jerusalem. The U.S. Government considers the West Bank to be territory occupied by Israel and believes that its final status should be determined through direct negotiations among the parties concerned on the basis of UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338.

The 1967 war led to a dramatic increase in the number of Palestinians living in Jordan. Its Palestinian refugee population--700,000 in 1966--grew by another 300,000 from the West Bank. The period following the 1967 war saw an upsurge in the power and importance of Palestinian resistance elements (fedayeen) in Jordan. The heavily armed fedayeen constituted a growing threat to the sovereignty and security of the Hashemite state, and open fighting erupted in June 1970.

No fighting occurred along the 1967 Jordan River cease-fire line during the October 1973 Arab-Israeli war, but Jordan sent a brigade to Syria to fight Israeli units on Syrian territory. Jordan did not participate in the Gulf war of 1990-91. In 1991, Jordan agreed, along with Syria, Lebanon, and Palestinian representatives, to participate in direct peace negotiations with Israel sponsored by the U.S. and Russia. It negotiated an end to hostilities with Israel and signed a peace treaty in 1994. Jordan has since sought to remain at peace with all of its neighbors.

(source: Department of State state.gov)

Links~

Arab German Consulting
(http://www.arab.de/links.htm)
Major portal site on the Arab countries. Includes up-to-date information on the government, history, economy, education systems.

Arab Net
(http://www.arab.net/jordan/index.html)
It is a major Arab website that contains information on the government, history, geography, business, culture, transport, tourism of each country, and provides links to other relevant websites.

Archaeology in Jordan (http://www.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/rwadi.html)
This site is for the University of Exeter's archaeological activities in Jordan.

Biography - His Majesty the Late King Hussein bin Talal (http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/biography.html)
Web site of the late King Husayn I of Jordan. Gives information on the king and the Hashemites, biography, photo bank, video and audio, Royal Court and Palaces.

Infoplease
(http://www.infoplease.com/)
Part of the electronic Learning Network, this homepage allows searches by country which yield articles in almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, biographical works, etc. Additional reference links are provided as well.

Jordan House of Parliament
(http://www.parliament.gov.jo)
It gives information on Chambers of the Parliament, its history, the Constitution, action of previous Parliament, law data bank, news and events and photo album.

Jordan's Royal Family
(http://kinghussein.gov.jo/hashemites.html)
This site provides information about King Hussein I. It also provides information on Jordan: past and present and the Hashemite family.

King Abdullah ll Official Website - King of the Hashemite Kingdom (http://www.kingabdullah.jo/)
It gives information concerning the history, economy, culture of Jordan.

Middle East Studies Center (Jordan)
(http://www.mesc.com.jo/)
This site is for an independent academic center belonging to the Jordanian private sector, specialized in the study of significant changes in the Middle East regionally and nationally politically, economically, and socially.

Military (Jordan)
(http://www.regiments.org/milhist/mideast/Jordan.htm)
This site provides military news, uniforms, badges, medals, and flags.

UCLA Library Collections & Internet Resources (http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/url/colls/mideast/)
The University of California Library Collections and Internet Resources in Middle Eastern, Arab, Islamic, Armenian and Central Asian studies.

University of Texas Middle East Website (http://menic.utexas.edu/menic/Countries_and_Regions/Jordan/)
Excellent website on the government, politics, news and media, education and the social sciences in the Middle East.

World Statesmen
(http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Jordan.htm)
"World Statesmen is an attempt at a comprehensive and accurate list of the heads of state and heads of government (and, in certain cases, de facto leaders occupying neither of those formal positions) for all countries and territories, going back to about 1700 or in some cases earlier. Some go further back, some only from their creation. Some subdivisions of some countries are present including native or traditional polities, provinces, or states. This sight also lists the leaders of international, religious, and governmental organizations." Searchable by leader or by nation, offers a map of the country, audio and text versions of the national anthem, and text of the national constitution for most countries.

State Department Country Background Notes
(http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3464.htm ) Provides concise over view of country information.

Country Study by the Library of Congress
(http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/jotoc.html)

United States Agency for International Development (http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/countries/jordan)