body appointed by the
monarch from designated categories of public figures; members serve
four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (80 seats; members
elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation
to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives--last held 4 November 1997 (next
to be held NA November 2001)
election results: House of Representatives--percent of vote by
party--NA; seats by party--National Constitutional Party 2, Arab Land
Party 1, independents 75, other 2
note: the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved
by the monarch several times since 1974; in November 1989 the first
parliamentary elections in 22 years were held

Judicial branch: Court of Cassation

Political parties and leaders: Al-Ahrar (Freedom) Party [Dr.
Ahmad ZO'BI, secretary general]; Arab Ba'th Progressive Party
Ishaq al-FARHAN, secretary general]; Jordanian Arab Constitutional
MAJALI, secretary general]; National Democratic Public Movement
HNEIDI, secretary general]

International organization participation: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL,
AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUA, NAM, OIC,
OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG,
UNPREDEP, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marwan Jamil MUASHIR
chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William BURNS
embassy: Jabel Amman, Amman
mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; APO AE 09892-0200

Flag description: 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

Economy

Economy--overview: Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate
supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil and coal.
Jordan benefited from increased Arab aid during the oil boom of the
late 1970s and early 1980s, when its annual real GNP growth averaged
more than 10%. In the remainder of the 1980s, however, reductions in
both Arab aid and worke