Long-form name: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Amman

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

Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration; formerly Trans-Jordan)

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

National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May (1946)

Branches: king holds balance of power; prime minister exercises executive authority in name of king; Cabinet appointed by king and responsible to parliament; bicameral parliament with House of Representatives, dissolved by King Hussein in February 1976, reconvened in January 1984, following national elections, and dissolved again in July 1988 as part of Jordanian disengagement from the West Bank; Senate last appointed by King Hussein in January 1984; secular court system based on differing legal systems of the former Trans-Jordan and Palestine; law Western in concept and structure; sharia (religious) courts for Muslims, and religious community council courts for non-Muslim communities; desert police carry out quasi-judicial functions in desert areas

Leaders: @m5Chief of State--King HUSSEIN Ibn Talal I (since 11 August 1952); @m5Head of Government--Prime Minister Zayd bin SHAKIR (since 27 April 1989)

Suffrage: universal at age 20

Elections: none scheduled

Political parties and leaders: political party activity illegal since 1957

Communists: party actively repressed, membership less than 500 (est.)

Member of: Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Hussein A. HAMMAMI; Chancery at 3504 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 966-2664; US--Ambassador Roscoe S. SUDDARTH; Embassy on Jebel Amman, Amman (mailing address is P. O. Box 354, Amman, or APO New York 09892); telephone �962� (6) 644371 through 644376

Flag: 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

NOTE: The information regarding Jordan on this page is re-published from the 1989 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Jordan Government 1989 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Jordan Government 1989 should be addressed to the CIA.