Jordan vs. West Bank
Geography
| Jordan | West Bank | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia, between Israel (to the west) and Iraq | Middle East, west of Jordan, east of Israel |
| Geographic coordinates | 31 00 N, 36 00 E | 32 00 N, 35 15 E |
| Map references | Middle East | Middle East |
| Area | total: 89,342 sq km land: 88,802 sq km water: 540 sq km | total: 5,860 sq km land: 5,640 sq km water: 220 sq km note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967 |
| Area - comparative | about three-quarters the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Indiana | slightly smaller than Delaware |
| 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: 478 km border countries (2): Israel 330 km, Jordan 148 km |
| Coastline | 26 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 nm | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April) | temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters |
| 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 rugged, dissected upland in west, flat plains descending to Jordan River Valley to the east |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Jabal Umm ad Dami 1,854 m lowest point: Dead Sea -431 m mean elevation: 812 m | highest point: Khallat al Batrakh 1,020 m lowest point: Dead Sea -431 m |
| Natural resources | phosphates, potash, shale oil | arable land |
| 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: 43.3% (2018 est.) arable land: 7.4% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 11% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 24.9% (2018 est.) forest: 1.5% (2018 est.) other: 55.2% (2018 est.) note: includes Gaza Strip |
| Irrigated land | 964 sq km (2012) | 240 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2012) |
| Natural hazards | droughts; periodic earthquakes; flash floods | droughts |
| Environment - current issues | limited natural freshwater resources; declining water table; salinity; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; biodiversity and ecosystem damage/loss | adequacy of freshwater supply; sewage treatment |
| 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) | landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are about 380 Israeli civilian sites, including about 213 settlements and 132 small outpost communities in the West Bank and 35 sites in East Jerusalem (2017) |
| Total renewable water resources | 937 million cubic meters (2017 est.) | 837 million cubic meters (2017 est.) note: data represent combined total from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. |
| 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 | Palestinian settlements are primarily located in the central to western half of the territory; Jewish settlements are found in pockets throughout, particularly in the northeast, north-central, and around Jerusalem |
Source: CIA Factbook
