Jordan vs. Iraq
Geography
| Jordan | Iraq | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia, between Israel (to the west) and Iraq | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait |
| Geographic coordinates | 31 00 N, 36 00 E | 33 00 N, 44 00 E |
| Map references | Middle East | Middle East |
| Area | total: 89,342 sq km land: 88,802 sq km water: 540 sq km | total: 438,317 sq km land: 437,367 sq km water: 950 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about three-quarters the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Indiana | slightly more than three times the size of New York state |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,744 km border countries (5): Iraq 179 km, Israel 307 km, Saudi Arabia 731 km, Syria 379 km, West Bank 148 km | total: 3,809 km border countries (6): Iran 1599 km, Jordan 179 km, Kuwait 254 km, Saudi Arabia 811 km, Syria 599 km, Turkey 367 km |
| Coastline | 26 km | 58 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 nm | territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: not specified |
| Climate | mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April) | mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq |
| Terrain | mostly arid desert plateau; a great north-south geological rift along the west of the country is the dominant topographical feature and includes the Jordan River Valley, the Dead Sea, and the Jordanian Highlands | mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Jabal Umm ad Dami 1,854 m lowest point: Dead Sea -431 m mean elevation: 812 m | highest point: Cheekha Dar (Kurdish for "Black Tent") 3,611 m lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m mean elevation: 312 m |
| Natural resources | phosphates, potash, shale oil | petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur |
| Land use | agricultural land: 11.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 8.4% (2018 est.) forest: 1.1% (2018 est.) other: 87.5% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 18.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 8.4% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.5% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 9.2% (2018 est.) forest: 1.9% (2018 est.) other: 80% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 964 sq km (2012) | 35,250 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | droughts; periodic earthquakes; flash floods | dust storms; sandstorms; floods |
| Environment - current issues | limited natural freshwater resources; declining water table; salinity; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; biodiversity and ecosystem damage/loss | government water control projects drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification; military and industrial infrastructure has released heavy metals and other hazardous substances into the air, soil, and groundwater; major sources of environmental damage are effluents from oil refineries, factory and sewage discharges into rivers, fertilizer and chemical contamination of the soil, and industrial air pollution in urban areas |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Environmental Modification |
| Geography - note | strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and as the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the occupied West Bank; the Dead Sea, the lowest point in Asia and the second saltiest body of water in the world (after Lac Assal in Djibouti), lies on Jordan's western border with Israel and the West Bank; Jordan is almost landlocked but does have a 26 km southwestern coastline with a single port, Al 'Aqabah (Aqaba) | strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf |
| Total renewable water resources | 937 million cubic meters (2017 est.) | 89.86 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | population heavily concentrated in the west, and particularly the northwest, in and around the capital of Amman; a sizeable, but smaller population is located in the southwest along the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba | population is concentrated in the north, center, and eastern parts of the country, with many of the larger urban agglomerations found along extensive parts of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; much of the western and southern areas are either lightly populated or uninhabited |
Source: CIA Factbook
