Jordan lies in Western Asia, part of Asia. Treaties and official documents call it Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Its seat of government is Amman.
It covers 89,342 km², which ranks it 113th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Portugal and just ahead of Serbia. Put next to a country most people can picture, it is almost exactly the same size as Portugal.
It is home to roughly 11.6 million people, placing it 84th of 250 by population — between Haiti above it and the Dominican Republic below. Within Western Asia alone it is the 7th largest of 17 and the 6th most populous.
Jordan on the map
Plotted on a globe it falls at 31.0° north, 36.0° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 3,451 km from the equator, in what geographers would call subtropical latitudes.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Morocco and Bermuda — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
Its land neighbours number 5: Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Syria. The largest of them by area is Saudi Arabia, while the most populous is Iraq. Together those neighbours hold about 121.3 million people.
With both a coast and land borders, it has the trade options a landlocked country does not.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
The people of Jordan
Spread across 89,342 km², that works out at about 129 people per square kilometre, which makes it more crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
Officially it is monolingual: Arabic. Another 24 entries list Arabic too — among them Algeria, Bahrain, Chad and the Comoros.
The demonym is Jordanian, so residents are Jordanians.
Against Asia as a whole it is the 27th most populous of 50 entries, and it accounts for 3.8% of everyone living in Western Asia.
Useful reference details
The currency is the Jordanian dinar (د.ا, JOD). No other entry in this dataset uses it, so the currency is specific to Jordan.
Its internet country code is .jo. To phone it from abroad you dial +962. In ISO terms it is jo in two letters and JOR in three.
Amman is the seat of government and the answer most quizzes are looking for.
As a sovereign state it is among the 193 UN members listed here. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Jordan shares borders with 5 countries:
Fun facts about Jordan
- In land area it is almost exactly the same size as Portugal.
- It shares land borders with 5 countries: Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
- Its full official name is Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
- Ranked by land area, Jordan is 113th out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
- Its capital city is Amman.
- The Jordanian dinar is used here and nowhere else on this list.
Jordan — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Jordan?
- The capital of Jordan is Amman.
- Where is Jordan located?
- Jordan is in Western Asia, part of Asia. Its reference coordinates are 31.0° north and 36.0° east, roughly 3,451 km from the equator in subtropical latitudes.
- Which countries border Jordan?
- Jordan borders 5 countries: Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Syria. Saudi Arabia is the largest of them by area.
- What language is spoken in Jordan?
- The official language of Jordan is Arabic. It is also official in 24 other entries on this list.
- What currency does Jordan use?
- Jordan uses the Jordanian dinar, written د.ا (currency code JOD). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- Is Jordan a country?
- Yes. Jordan is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- What is the population of Jordan?
- Jordan has a population of about 11.6 million, which makes it the 84th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Haiti sits just above it and the Dominican Republic just below.
- How big is Jordan?
- Jordan covers 89,342 km², ranking 113th of 250 by land area. That makes it almost exactly the same size as Portugal.
