Part 32
_#_Telecommunications: fully automatic domestic telephone network; 127,000 telephones; stations--10 AM, 17 FM, 8 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; 3 coaxial submarine cables
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Jamaica Defense Force (includes Coast Guard and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 628,225; 446,229 fit for military service; no conscription; 26,442 reach minimum volunteer age (18) annually
_#_Defense expenditures: $20 million, less than 1% of GDP (FY91) _%_ _@_Jan Mayen (territory of Norway) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 373 km2; land area: 373 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 124.1 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 10 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 4 nm
_#_Disputes: Denmark has challenged Norway's maritime claims beween Greenland and Jan Mayen
_#_Climate: arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
_#_Terrain: volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers; Beerenberg is the highest peak, with an elevation of 2,277 meters
_#_Natural resources: none
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
_#_Environment: barren volcanic island with some moss and grass; volcanic activity resumed in 1970
_#_Note: located north of the Arctic Circle about 590 km north-northeast of Iceland between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea
_*_People _#_Population: no permanent inhabitants
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none
_#_Type: territory of Norway
_#_Note: administered by a governor (sysselmann) resident in Longyearbyen (Svalbard)
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable natural resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services for employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations located on the island.
_#_Electricity: 15,000 kW capacity; 40 million kWh produced, NA kWh per capita (1989)
_*_Communications _#_Airports: 1 with runway 1,220 to 2,439 m
_#_Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
_#_Telecommunications: radio and meteorological station
_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of Norway _%_ _@_Japan _*_Geography _#_Total area: 377,835 km2; land area: 374,744 km2; includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okinotori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than California
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 29,751 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm (3 nm in international straits--La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait)
_#_Disputes: Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan Islands and the Habomai island group occupied by Soviet Union since 1945, claimed by Japan; Liancourt Rocks disputed with South Korea; Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan
_#_Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
_#_Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous
_#_Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish
_#_Land use: arable land 13%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 67%; other 18%; includes irrigated 9%
_#_Environment: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; subject to tsunamis
_#_Note: strategic location in northeast Asia
_*_People _#_Population: 124,017,137 (July 1991), growth rate 0.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 10 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 4 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 76 years male, 82 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Japanese (sing., pl.); adjective--Japanese
_#_Ethnic divisions: Japanese 99.4%, other (mostly Korean) 0.6%
_#_Religion: most Japanese observe both Shinto and Buddhist rites so the percentages add to more than 100%--Shinto 95.8%, Buddhist 76.3%, Christian 1.4%, other 12% (1985)
_#_Language: Japanese
_#_Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1970 est.)
_#_Labor force: 63,330,000; trade and services 54%; manufacturing, mining, and construction 33%; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 7%; government 3% (1988)
_#_Organized labor: about 29% of employed workers; public service 76.4%, transportation and telecommunications 57.9%, mining 48.7%, manufacturing 33.7%, services 18.2%, wholesale, retail, and restaurant 9.3%
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none
_#_Type: constitutional monarchy
_#_Capital: Tokyo
_#_Administrative divisions: 47 prefectures (fuken, singular and plural); Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi
_#_Independence: 660 BC, traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu
_#_Constitution: 3 May 1947
_#_Legal system: civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
_#_National holiday: Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)
_#_Executive branch: emperor, prime minister, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Diet (Kokkai) consists of an upper house or House of Councillors (Sangi-in) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Shugi-in)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Kiichi MIYAZAWA (since 5 November 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Toshiki KAIFU, president; Keizo OBUCHI, secretary general; Japan Socialist Party (JSP), T. DOI, chairman; Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), Keigo OUCHI, chairman; Japan Communist Party (JCP), K. MIYAMOTO, Presidium chairman; Komeito (Clean Government Party, CGP), Koshiro ISHIDA, chairman
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 20
_#_Elections:
House of Councillors--last held on 23 July 1989 (next to be held 23 July 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(252 total, 100 elected) LDP 109, JSP 67, CGP 21, JCP 14, other 41;
House of Representatives--last held on 18 February 1990 (next to be held by February 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(512 total) LDP 275, JSP 136, CGP 45, JCP 16, DSP 14, other parties 5, independents 21; note--9 independents are expected to join the LDP, 5 the JSP
_#_Communists: about 490,000 registered Communist party members
_#_Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), APEC, AsDB, BIS, CCC, COCOM, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-2, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Ryohei MURATA; Chancery at 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-6700; there are Japanese Consulates General in Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland (Oregon), and a Consulate in Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands);
US--Ambassador Michael H. ARMACOST; Embassy at 10-1, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku (107), Tokyo (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96503); telephone [81] (3) 3224-5000; there are US Consulates General in Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, and Sapporo and a Consulate in Fukuoka
_#_Flag: white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Although Japan has few natural resources, since 1971 it has become the world's third-largest economy, ranking behind only the US and the USSR. Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, and a comparatively small defense allocation have helped Japan advance rapidly, notably in high-technology fields. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. Self-sufficent in rice, Japan must import 50% of its requirements for other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. Overall economic growth has been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1990 strong investment and consumption spending helped maintain growth at 5.6%. Inflation remains low at 3.1% despite higher oil prices and rising wages because of a tight labor market. Japan continues to run a huge trade surplus, $52 billion in 1990, which supports extensive investment in foreign properties.
_#_GNP: $2,115.2 billion, per capita $17,100; real growth rate 5.6% (1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.1% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 2.1% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $499 billion; expenditures $532 billion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of $52 billion (FY90)
_#_Exports: $286.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities--manufactures 97% (including machinery 38%, motor vehicles 17%, consumer electronics 10%);
partners--US 31%, Southeast Asia 29%, Western Europe 21%, Communist countries 3%, Middle East 3%
_#_Imports: $234.7 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities--manufactures 50%, fossil fuels 24%, foodstuffs and raw materials 26%;
partners--Southeast Asia 23%, US 23%, Western Europe 18%, Middle East 13%, Communist countries 7%
_#_External debt: $NA
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 4.6% (1990 est.); accounts for 30% of GDP (mining and manufacturing)
_#_Electricity: 191,000,000 kW capacity; 790,000 million kWh produced, 6,390 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: metallurgy, engineering, electrical and electronic, textiles, chemicals, automobiles, fishing, telecommunications
_#_Agriculture: accounts for only 2% of GNP; highly subsidized and protected sector, with crop yields among highest in world; principal crops--rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; animal products include pork, poultry, dairy and eggs; about 50% self-sufficient in food production; shortages of wheat, corn, soybeans; world's largest fish catch of 11.9 million metric tons in 1988
_#_Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $83.2 billion; ODA outlay of $7.9 billion in 1989
_#_Currency: yen (plural--yen); 1 yen (3) = 100 sen
_#_Exchange rates: yen (3) per US$1--133.88 (January 1991), 144.79 (1990), 137.96 (1989), 128.15 (1988), 144.64 (1987), 168.52 (1986), 238.54 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 27,327 km total; 2,012 km 1.435-meter standard gauge and 25,315 km predominantly 1.067-meter narrow gauge; 5,724 km doubletrack and multitrack sections, 9,038 km 1.067-meter narrow-gauge electrified, 2,012 km 1.435-meter standard-gauge electrified (1987)
_#_Highways: 1,098,900 km total; 718,700 km paved, 380,200 km gravel, crushed stone, or unpaved; 3,900 km national expressways, 46,544 km national highways, 43,907 km principal local roads, 86,930 km prefectural roads, and 917,619 other (1987)
_#_Inland waterways: about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas
_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 84 km; refined products, 322 km; natural gas, 1,800 km
_#_Ports: Chiba, Muroran, Kitakyushu, Kobe, Tomakomai, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Yokkaichi, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Niigata, Fushiki-Toyama, Shimizu, Himeji, Wakayama-Shimozu, Shimonoseki, Tokuyama-Shimomatsu
_#_Merchant marine: 1,019 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 22,396,958 GRT/34,683,035 DWT; includes 9 passenger, 55 short-sea passenger, 4 passenger cargo, 95 cargo, 40 container, 33 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 125 refrigerated cargo, 99 vehicle carrier, 231 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 14 chemical tanker, 41 liquefied gas, 11 combination ore/oil, 3 specialized tanker, 257 bulk, 2 combination bulk; note--Japan also owns a large flag of convenience fleet, including up to 40% of the total number of ships under Panamanian flag
_#_Civil air: 360 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 165 total, 157 usable; 129 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 29 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 56 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: excellent domestic and international service; 64,000,000 telephones; stations--318 AM, 58 FM, 12,350 TV (196 major--1 kw or greater); satellite earth stations--4 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; submarine cables to US (via Guam), Philippines, China, and USSR
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force), Maritime Safety Agency (Coast Guard)
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 32,256,893; 27,771,374 fit for military service; 992,255 reach military age (18) annually
_#_Defense expenditures: $NA, 1.0% of GNP (1990 est.) _%_ _@_Jarvis Island (territory of the US) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 4.5 km2; land area: 4.5 km2
_#_Comparative area: about 7.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 8 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth);
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun
_#_Terrain: sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef
_#_Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until late 1800s)
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
_#_Environment: sparse bunch grass, prostrate vines, and low-growing shrubs; lacks fresh water; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife; feral cats
_#_Note: 2,090 km south of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean, just south of the Equator, about halfway between Hawaii and the Cook Islands
_*_People _#_Population: uninhabited
_#_Note: Millersville settlement on western side of island occasionally used as a weather station from 1935 until World War II, when it was abandoned; reoccupied in 1957 during the International Geophysical Year by scientists who left in 1958; public entry is by special-use permit only and generally restricted to scientists and educators
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none (territory of the US)
_#_Type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System
_*_Economy _#_Overview: no economic activity
_*_Communications _#_Ports: none; offshore anchorage only--one boat landing area in the middle of the west coast and another near the southwest corner of the island
_#_Note: there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast
_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard _%_ _@_Jersey (British crown dependency) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 117 km2; land area: 117 km2
_#_Comparative area: about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 70 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
_#_Climate: temperate; mild winters and cool summers
_#_Terrain: gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast
_#_Natural resources: agricultural land
_#_Land use: arable land NA%; permanent crops NA%; meadows and pastures NA%; forest and woodland NA%; other NA%; about 58% of land under cultivation
_#_Environment: about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier
_#_Note: largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; 27 km from France
_*_People _#_Population: 84,331 (July 1991), growth rate 0.8% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 6 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 78 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.3 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Channel Islander(s); adjective--Channel Islander
_#_Ethnic divisions: UK and Norman-French descent
_#_Religion: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian
_#_Language: English and French (official), with the Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts
_#_Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%) but compulsory education age 5 to 16
_#_Labor force: NA
_#_Organized labor: none
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Bailiwick of Jersey
_#_Type: British crown dependency
_#_Capital: Saint Helier
_#_Administrative divisions: none (British crown dependency)
_#_Independence: none (British crown dependency)
_#_Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
_#_Legal system: English law and local statute
_#_National holiday: Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)
_#_Executive branch: British monarch, lieutenant governor, bailiff
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the States
_#_Judicial branch: Royal Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
Head of Government--Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Marshal Sir John SUTTON (since NA 1990); Bailiff Peter CRILL (since NA)
_#_Political parties and leaders: none; all independents
_#_Suffrage: universal adult at age NA
_#_Elections:
Assembly of the States--last held NA (next to be held NA); results--percent of vote NA; seats--(56 total, 52 elected) 52 independents
_#_Communists: probably none
_#_Member of: none
_#_Diplomatic representation: none (British crown dependency)
_#_Flag: white with the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) extending to the corners of the flag
_*_Economy _#_Overview: The economy is based largely on financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EC countries. In 1986 the finance sector overtook tourism as the main contributor to GDP, accounting for 40% of the island's output. In recent years the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs.
_#_GDP: $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate 8% (1987 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8% (1988 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: NA%
_#_Budget: revenues $308.0 million; expenditures $284.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1985)
_#_Exports: $NA;
commodities--light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles;
partners--UK
_#_Imports: $NA;
commodities--machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals;
partners--UK
_#_External debt: $NA
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 50,000 kW standby capacity (1990); power supplied by France
_#_Industries: tourism, banking and finance, dairy
_#_Agriculture: potatoes, cauliflowers, tomatoes; dairy and cattle farming
_#_Economic aid: none
_#_Currency: Jersey pound (plural--pounds); 1 Jersey pound (5J) = 100 pence
_#_Exchange rates: Jersey pounds (5J) per US$1--0.5171 (January 1991), 0.5603 (1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0.6102 (1987), 0.6817 (1986), 0.7714 (1985); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound
_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
_*_Communications _#_Ports: Saint Helier, Gorey, Saint Aubin
_#_Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway 1,220-2,439 m (Saint Peter)
_#_Telecommunications: 63,700 telephones; stations--1 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 3 submarine cables
_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK _%_ _@_Johnston Atoll (territory of the US) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 2.8 km2; land area: 2.8 km2
_#_Comparative area: about 4.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 10 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth);
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation
_#_Terrain: mostly flat with a maximum elevation of 4 meters
_#_Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until about 1890)
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
_#_Environment: some low-growing vegetation
_#_Note: strategic location 1,328 km west-southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-third of the way between Hawaii and the Marshall Islands; Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands; North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; closed to the public; former nuclear weapons test site; site of Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS)
_*_People _#_Population: 1,325 (December 1990); all US government personnel and contractors
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none (territory of the US)
_#_Type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the US Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) and managed cooperatively by DNA and the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system
_#_Diplomatic representation: none (territory of the US)
_#_Flag: the flag of the US is used
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Economic activity is limited to providing services to US military personnel and contractors located on the island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.
_#_Electricity: supplied by the United States Military
_*_Communications _#_Ports: Johnston Island
_#_Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway 2,743 m
_#_Telecommunications: excellent system including 60-channel submarine cable, Autodin/SRT terminal, digital telephone switch, Military Affiliated Radio System (MARS station), commercial satellite television system (receive only), and UHF/VHF air-ground radio, marine VHF/FM Channel 16
_#_Note: US Coast Guard operates a LORAN transmitting station
_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the US _%_ _@_Jordan (see separate West Bank entry) _#_Note: The war between Israel and the Arab states in June 1967 ended with Israel in control of the West Bank. As stated in the 1978 Camp David Accords and reaffirmed by President Reagan's 1 September 1982 peace initiative, the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, their relationship with their neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan are to be negotiated among the concerned parties. The Camp David Accords further specify that these negotiations will resolve the location of the respective boundaries. Pending the completion of this process, it is US policy that the final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has yet to be determined.
_*_Geography _#_Total area: 91,880 km2; land area: 91,540 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana
_#_Land boundaries: 1,586 km total; Iraq 134 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 742 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
_#_Coastline: 26 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 3 nm
_#_Disputes: differences with Israel over the location of the 1949 Armistice Line which separates the two countries
_#_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
_#_Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil
_#_Land use: arable land 4%; permanent crops 0.5%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 0.5%; other 94%; includes irrigated 0.5%
_#_Environment: lack of natural water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
_*_People _#_Population: 3,412,553 (July 1991), growth rate 4.2% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 1 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 38 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 73 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 7.1 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Jordanian(s); adjective--Jordanian
_#_Ethnic divisions: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
_#_Religion: Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 8%
_#_Language: Arabic (official); English widely understood among upper and middle classes
_#_Literacy: 80% (male 89%, female 70%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 572,000 (1988); agriculture 20%, manufacturing and mining 20% (1987 est.)
_#_Organized labor: about 10% of labor force
_#_Note: 1.5-1.7 million Palestinians live on the East Bank (55-60% of the population), most are Jordanian citizens
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
_#_Type: constitutional monarchy
_#_Capital: Amman
_#_Administrative divisions: 8 governorates (muhafazat, singular--muhafazah); Al Balqa, Al Karak, Al Mafraq, Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa, Irbid, Maan
_#_Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration; formerly Trans-Jordan)
_#_Constitution: 8 January 1952
_#_Legal system: based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May (1946)
_#_Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly (Majlis al-Umma) consists of an upper house or House of Notables (Majlis al-Aayan) and a lower house or House of Deputies (Majlis al-Nuwaab); note--the House of Deputies was dissolved by King Hussein on 30 July 1988 as part of Jordanian disengagement from the West Bank and in November 1989 the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held, with no seats going to Palestinians on the West Bank
_#_Judicial branch: Court of Cassation
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--King HUSSEIN Ibn Talal I (since 11 August 1952);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Tahir al-MASRI (since 17 June 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders: none; after the 1989 parliamentary elections, King Hussein promised to allow the formation of political
## parties; a national charter that sets forth the ground rules for
democracy in Jordan--including the creation of political parties--has been completed but not yet approved
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 20
_#_Elections:
House of Representatives--last held 8 November 1989 (next to be held November 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(80 total) Muslim Brotherhood 22, Independent Islamic bloc 10, Democratic bloc (mostly leftist) 15, Liberal bloc (traditionalist) 7, Nationalist bloc (traditionalist) 14, independent 12
_#_Communists: party actively repressed, membership less than 500 (est.)
_#_Member of: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Hussein A. HAMMAMI; Chancery at 3504 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 966-2664;
US--Ambassador Roger Gram HARRISON; Embassy on Jebel Amman, Amman (mailing address is P. O. Box 354, Amman, or APO New York 09892); telephone [962] (6) 644-371
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), white, and green with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a small white seven-pointed star; the seven points on the star represent the seven fundamental laws of the Koran