Jordan

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Jordan (Arabic: الأردنّ ‎, transliterated as Al-Urdunn), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Arabic: المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية ), is an Arab country in the Middle East. It is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the north-east, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, and Israel to the west. It shares with Israel the coastlines of the Dead Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

History

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

With the break-up of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, the League of Nations created French Mandate Syria and British Mandate Palestine. 80% of the British Mandate of Palestine was East of the Jordan river, or "Transjordan" (as opposed to "Cisjordan"). In 1921, the British gave semi-autonomous control of Transjordan to the Hashemite family, who had lost their civil war with the House of Saud for control of Mecca and Medina.

The Hashemites continued to rule Transjordan until after World War II. In 1946, the British requested that the United Nations approve an end to British Mandate rule in Transjordan Palestine. Following this approval, the Parliament proclaimed King Abdullah the first ruler of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It is one of only three countries that are named after a family, the others being Saudi Arabia (named after the family Saud) and Liechtenstein. Unlike Saudi Arabia, however, only Jordan's formal name includes the family name.

In 1950, Transjordan annexed the West Bank, which it kept under control after the armistice that followed the Arab League's war against Israel upon its declaration of independence in 1948. The annexation was recognised only by the United Kingdom.

Following the formation of the United Arab Republic by Egypt and Syria, and the Iraqi Revolution in 1958, Jordanian trade routes and Iraqi oil supply were cut. Consequently, Jordan had to request aid from the United States and the United Kingdom, which prevented escalations between Jordan and the UAR (see Conflict between the United Arab Republic and Jordan).

In 1965, there was an exchange of land between Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Jordan gave up a relatively large area of inland desert in return for a small piece of sea-shore near Aqaba.

Jordan signed a mutual defense pact in May 1967 with Egypt, and it participated in the June 1967 war against Israel along with Syria, Egypt, and Iraq. During the war, Jordan lost the West Bank and East Jerusalem to Israel (the western sector having been under Israeli control). 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 and Christian holy places in Jerusalem. The United Nations 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 Resolution 242 and UN Security Council Resolution 338.

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