| Location: |
Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia |
| Geographic coordinates: |
31 00 N, 36 00 E |
| Map references: |
Middle East |
| Area: |
total: 92,300 sq km
land: 91,971 sq km
water: 329 sq km |
| Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than Indiana |
| Land boundaries: |
total: 1,635 km
border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 744 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km |
| Coastline: |
26 km |
| Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 3 nm |
| Climate: |
mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April) |
| Terrain: |
mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River |
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m |
| Natural resources: |
phosphates, potash, shale oil |
| Land use: |
arable land: 3.32%
permanent crops: 1.18%
other: 95.5% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: |
750 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: |
droughts; periodic earthquakes |
| Environment - current issues: |
limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification |
| Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note: |
strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and as the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the occupied West Bank |
