Geography of Jordan

Main areas and cities

Know the geography of Jordan It will allow you to better understand the differences between some areas and others during your circuit through the country. Therefore, on this page we show you the most significant data of Jordan at a geographical level: its size, its borders, its regions, its most populated cities, etc.

Table of Contents

Size and borders of Jordan

Jordan is a relatively small country: it has an area of about 90,000 km2, which is an area equivalent to that of Portugal, for example. This is less than other countries around it, such as Egypt or Saudi Arabia, but more than some neighbors, such as Israel or Lebanon.

As you can see on a geographical map of Jordan, it has a land border with five countries:

  • With Iraq, to the northeast
  • With Saudi Arabia, to the east and south
  • With Israel, to the west
  • With Palestine (West Bank) to the west
  • With Syria, to the north
Map of Jordan

Regions of geography of Jordan

Jordan is subdivided into different administrative regions, which are called “governorates”. In total there are twelve:

  • Amman Governorate: it is the most populous and important, as it includes the capital of the country, Amman
  • Governorate of Jerash or Gerasa: it is not among the most populated or extensive, but from a tourist point of view it is relevant for its spectacular Roman ruins
  • Aqaba Governorate: It is one of the most important due to its strategic location, as it is the only one that has a coastline on the Red Sea. It takes its name from the port city of Aqaba
  • Irbid Governorate
  • Zarqa Governorate
  • Al Balqa Governorate
  • Al Mafraq Governorate
  • Karak Governorate
  • Maraba Governorate
  • Ajloun Governorate
  • Ma’an Governorate
  • Tafilah Governorate
Major cities in Jordan

Major cities in Jordan

Although in the geography of Jordan Desert predominates, these areas have a very low population density. That is, Jordan is an eminently urban country, since approximately 70% of its inhabitants are concentrated in cities (compared to 55% of the world average, according to World Bank data).

This is the list of the five most populous cities in the country, according to official government data in 2021:

  • Amman, the capital of Jordan, with more than 4 million inhabitants
  • Zarqa, with about 735,000
  • Irbid, with about 580,000
  • Russeifa, with almost 550,000
  • Saab, with almost 200,000

Some interesting facts about the relief: the ecoregions

From a tourist point of view, it is more interesting to make a simple subdivision of the geography of Jordan according to its relief. Three main areas can be distinguished:

  • The desert plain, which occupies the center and west of the country. Being extremely arid lands, only 3% of its surface is arable, approximately
  • The western mountains, which extend from north to south. In these highlands is concentrated the vast majority of Jordanian cities and, therefore, of the population. In the north of this great mountain ridge is located the only Mediterranean forest biome of the geography of Jordan
  • The Jordan Rift Valley, about 120 km, which has a north-south direction. It is formed by the Jordan River or, rather, by the Syriac-African tectonic trench, in which this river and the two large bodies of water in the area are embedded: the Sea of Galilee (in Israeli territory) and the Dead Sea.

Jordan is a mostly ‘inland’ country, but it has a small coastal strip on the Red Sea: there are about 26 km of coastline in Aqaba, which represents a gateway not only for travelers but also for goods and natural resources (gas, through a gas pipeline with Egypt, and oil through an oil pipeline projected from Iraq. The Basra-Aqaba pipeline is under study and construction, but this phrase is ambiguous enough to hold up for years like this.)

Although the highlands extend through the western mountains, the highest peak in the country is to be found in the south, on the border with Saudi Arabia: it is the Jabal um ad Dami, about 70 km southeast of Aqaba and in the vicinity of the Wadi Rum Nature Reserve. It rises to 1,854 meters above sea level.

On the other hand, in the Jordan Rift Valley you will find the opposite: the lowest point, not only of the geography of Jordan but also of the whole world, which is the Dead Sea, at -408 meters above sea level, because it is located in a deep depression on the border with Israel and Palestine.

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