Jordan
POPULATION 5,611,202
SUNNI MUSLIM 93 percent
CHRISTIAN 5.5 percent
SHIITE MUSLIM 1 percent
DRUZE 0.3 percent
BAHAI 0.2 percent
Country Overview
Introduction
Jordan, situated in southwestern Asia, is one of the countries that make up the Middle East. It is bordered to the north by Syria, to the east by Iraq, to the southeast and south by Saudi Arabia, and to the west by Israel and the area known as the West Bank, control of which was officially relinquished by Jordan in 1988.
Jordan is rich in religious history. Considered part of the Holy Land, it is sacred to Jews and Christians for its connection to the Jewish prophets Abraham and Moses as well as such Christian biblical figures as John the Baptist. Many biblical events took place in the region. Jordan is important to Muslims because some of Muhammad's companions are buried there. In antiquity the area of present-day Jordan was ruled at various times by the Nabataeans, Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines.
It was in Jordan that the non-Arab world first came into contact with Islam more than 1,500 years ago. Arab armies carried Islam north and east from Arabia, entering the region of Jordan in 633 C.E. In the contemporary Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Islam is the state religion.
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