Jordan Statistics

Government-Economy

Government Type: constitutional monarchyNational Holiday:May 25GDP: $95.3 billion (est. 2010)GDP – per capita (PPP): $ 5,956 (est. 2010)

Information for Foreign Students in JordanGetting There Jordan's national airline is Royal Jordanian Airlines. Queen Alia International Airport is the country's main airport. It is 35km south of Amman (on the main route to Aqaba). You should allow 45 minutes to reach the airport from the downtown Amman, approximately 30 minutes from West Amman. Transport into Amman is provided by the Royal Jordanian bus service to the city terminal near the 7th circle, or by taxi (30 JD). In addition to Queen Alia, Jordan has two other international airports: Marka International Airport in East Amman (serving routes to nearby Middle Eastern countries, as well as internal flights to Aqaba) and King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba.

Obtaining a Visa Citizens from Bahrain, Egypt, Hong Kong, Japan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Vatican City and Yemen do not require a visa for entry. Everyone else needs a visa. However, most nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival. The cost of single entry visa for all nationalities is JD 10 (around $14) for all nationalities and for multiple entries it is JD 20 (around $30). Visas are available at most borders for all visitors except nationals from Africa: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d'lvoire, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia. Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Iran, Laos, Lebanon, Mangolia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam. Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia. South America: Belize, Colombia, Cuba. If you stay longer than one month (previously two weeks) you will have to register your passport at a police station. Most 4/5 star hotels will take care of this formality on behalf of their guests, but the process is generally quick and painless. If you fail to register, you will have to pay a 1 1/2 JD/day penalty for each day over 30 on your departure. Not expensive, but allow an extra half hour at the airport to complete the process, which will involve standing in a number of different queues.

Accommodation
Amman has an abundance of 5 and 4 star hotels. In addition there is good number of 3 star hotels and there are plenty of 2 star and 1 star hotels in downtown Amman which are very cheap, and there are plenty of tourists, especially those that are passing by stay in these hotels. Be advised that there are two scales of rating the hotels in Jordan. There are the standard, Western-style 5-star hotels such as the Sheraton, Crowne Plaza, etc, and then there are the local 5-star establishments. The local establishments that are considered '5-star' in Jordan would be more like 3-star hotels in the West. That being said, a traveller will pay top dollar for a Western brand-name 5-star hotel in Amman or Petra and less for the local 5-star hotel. Furthermore, for longer stays it is possible to get furnished apartments from around 200-600JDs a month.

Money
Currency used in Jordan is the Jordanian dinar (JD). Most upper scale restaurants and shops at shopping malls also accept US dollars.

Telephone
Card-based temporary numbers can be purchased at the airport or any mobile shop for 10 JD. These numbers can be subsequently recharged with a prepaid card starting at only one JD.

Health
As in all urban areas in the world, Jordan's cities have some health concerns but also keep in mind that Jordan is a center for medical treatment in the Middle East and its world-class hospitals are respected in every part of the world.

Safety
Jordan is very safe. There is virtually no unsafe part of Jordan except at the Iraqi border. Although the rural parts of Jordan have limited infrastructures, the fellahin (or village people) will be happy to assist you.

TransportationRegular taxis are abundant in most cities. They are bright yellow (Similar to New York yellow-cabs) and are generally in good condition. A 10km trip should cost around 2 JDs. All yellow taxis should be metered, however most drivers outside Amman do not use them therefore you should agree on a price before departing.