Geography & environment — Jordan
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Jordan: Middle East
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
Middle East
- Geographic Coordinates
31 00 N, 36 00 E
- Total Area
34,495 Square Miles 89,342 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
34,286 Square Miles 88,802 Square Kilometers
- Water Area
208 Square Miles 540 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
1,016 Miles 1,635 Kilometers
- Border Countries
Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 744 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
- Coastline
16 Miles 26 Kilometers
Physical geography
- Terrain
mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
- Highest Point
1,734 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Jabal Ram 1,734 m
- Lowest Point
-408 Meters
- Lowest Point Location
Dead Sea -408 m
- Natural Resources
phosphates, potash, shale oil
- Irrigated Land
304 Square Miles 789 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Daylight saving time
+1hr, begins last Friday in March; ends last Friday in October
Climate
- Climate
- Jordan's countryside offers a diversity of climate and scenery. Within easy driving distance of the capital city of Amman, one can visit Irbid's temperate highlands, Ajlun's majestic hills, the fertile Jordan Valley, the southern sandstone mountains, and the arid desert of the eastern plateau. Inadequate rainfall is a chronic problem. Rainfall usually occurs only from November to April
- the rest of the year has bright sunshine daily and low humidity. In the spring, a desert wind brings higher temperatures
- daytime summer temperatures can be hot, but nights are usually pleasant, cool, and dry. Autumn is long and pleasant
- winter can sometimes bring light snow to the mountains and to Amman
- and spring carpets the country's grazing lands with beautiful wildflowers.
- Terrain
mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
- Location
Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia, between Israel (to the west) and Iraq
- Total Area
34,495 Square Miles 89,342 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 744 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
Environment
- Environment - Current Issues
limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
- Environment - International Agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements