Jordan
Jordan, 1946 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
In 1946, Jordan gained independence and became officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Jordan captured and annexed the West Bank during the 1948 Palestine war until it was occupied by Israel in 1967. Jordan renounced its claim to the territory to the Palestinians in 1988 and signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994. The sovereign state is a semi-constitutional monarchy, but the king holds wide executive and legislative powers.
Seat of power: Amman
Rulers
Abdullah I of Jordan
King of Jordan, 1946–1951
He was the ruler of Jordan from 11 April 1921 until his assassination in 1951. He was the Emir of Transjordan, a British protectorate, until 25 May 1946, after which he was king of an independent Jordan.
Portrait of Abdullah I of Jordan: Cecil Beaton, Public domain, file
Talal I of Jordan
King of Jordan, 1951–1952
He was King of Jordan from the assassination of his father King Abdullah I in 1951, until his forced abdication in 1952. The Jordanian Parliament forced Talal to abdicate a year later due to his mental illness, and a regency council was appointed until Hussein came of age.
Portrait of Talal I of Jordan: Jordan, Public domain, file
Hussein I of Jordan
King of Jordan, 1952–1999
He was King of Jordan from 1952 until his death in 1999. Hussein, a constitutional monarch, started his rule by allowing the formation of the only democratically elected government in Jordan's history in 1956, which he forced to resign a few months later, declaring martial law and banning political parties.
Portrait of Hussein I of Jordan: André Cros, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Abdullah II of Jordan
King of Jordan, 1999 to today
He is the king of Jordan, having acceded to the throne on 7 February 1999. He began his military career in 1980 as a training officer in the Jordanian Armed Forces, later assuming command of the country's Special Forces in 1994, eventually becoming a major general in 1998.
Culture
- The dominant majority, or around 95% of the country's population, is Sunni Muslim, with the rest being mostly Arab Christian.
- From as early as 1948, Jordan has accepted refugees from multiple neighbouring countries in conflict.
- Jordan is a founding member of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Picture
Wadi Rum is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southern Jordan, and the Wadi Rum Protected Area has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2011.
Image: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.