| Geography |
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Location: |
Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia |
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Geographic coordinates: |
31 00 N, 36 00 E |
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Map references: |
Middle East |
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Area: |
total: 92,300 sq km
land: 91,971 sq km
water: 329 sq km |
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Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than Indiana |
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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 |
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Coastline: |
26 km |
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Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 3 nm |
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Climate: |
mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April) |
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Terrain: |
mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River |
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m |
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Natural resources: |
phosphates, potash, shale oil |
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Land use: |
arable land: 3.32%
permanent crops: 1.18%
other: 95.5% (2005) |
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Irrigated land: |
750 sq km (2003) |
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Total renewable water resources: |
0.9 cu km (1997) |
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): |
total: 1.01 cu km/yr (21%/4%/75%)
per capita: 177 cu m/yr (2000) |
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Natural hazards: |
droughts; periodic earthquakes |
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Environment - current issues: |
limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification |
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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 |
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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 |
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