and middle classes

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1991)
total population: 83%
male: 91%
female: 75%

Labor force: 600,000 (1992)
by occupation: industry 11.4%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels
10.5%, construction 10.0%, transport and communications 8.7%,
agriculture 7.4%, other services 52.0% (1992)

@Jordan:Government

Names:
conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
conventional short form: Jordan
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah
local short form: Al Urdun
former: Transjordan

Digraph: JO

Type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Amman

Administrative divisions: 8 governorates (muhafazat, singular -
muhafazah); Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az
Zarqa', Irbid, Ma'an

Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under
British administration)

National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May (1946)

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

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: King HUSSEIN Bin Talal Al Hashimi (since 11 August
1952)
head of government: Prime Minister Zayd BIN SHAKIR (since 8 January
1995)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly (Majlis al-'Umma)
House of Notables (Majlis al-A'ayan): consists of a 40-member body
appointed by the king from designated categories of public figures
House of Representatives: elections last held 8 November 1993 (next to
be held NA November 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (80 total) Muslim Brotherhood (fundamentalist) 16, Independent
Islamic bloc (generally traditionalist) 6, Radical leftist 3,
pro-government 55
note: the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved by
the King several times since 1974 and in November 1989 the first
parliamentary elections in 22 years were held

Judicial branch: Court of Cassation

Political parties and leaders: Al-'Ahd (Pledge) Party, Sec. Gen. 'Abd
al-Hadi al-MAJALI; Al-Ahrar (Liberals) Party, Sec. Gen. Ahmad
al-ZU'BI; Al-Hurriyah (Freedom) Party, Sec. Gen. Fawwaz al-ZUBI;
Al-Watan (Homeland) Party, leader 'Akif al-FAYIZ; Al-Yaqazah
(Awakening) Party, Sec. Gen. 'Abd al-Ra'uf al-RAWABIDAH;
Constitutional J