Jordan

Capital City - Amman
Currency - Jordanian Dinar
Population - 6,407,085 (July 2010 estimate)
National Language - Arabic
Type of Government - Constitutional Monarchy
Leaders - Abdullah II (King); Marouf al-Bakhit (Prime Minister)
Country's Motto - "الله، الوطن، المليك" (Allah Al-Watan Al-Malek) - Translates to mean "God, Homeland, The King."

Location - The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, or the Jordanian Kingdom, is located in southwestern Asia.  It borders Saudi Arabia to the east and southeast, Iraq to the northeast, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the West, with whom it shares control of the Dead Sea.  The northwestern portion of the country is part of the "Fertile Crescent," though much of Jordan is covered by the Arabian Desert.

Climate - Jordan's climate is considered to be semi-dry in the summer and relatively cold in the winter.

Religion - Roughly 92% of Jordanians are said to be Muslim.  6% of the population are members of the Christian faith (of various denominations).  The remaining 2% of the populous are Bahai and Druze.

Cuisine - The cuisine of Jordan shares many commonalities with its other middle eastern neighbors.  In particular, lamb kebabs, hummus, and baklava are typical of the region.

Most Famous Landmark - Petra, an ancient city completely carved out of a mountain, has been considered one of the most precious cultural properties of man's heritage.  So true, once a person walks through the pink gorge of al-Siq and first lays eyes on the al-Kazneh, it will be clear why this has become known as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World."

If You Learn Only One Thing About Jordan, It Should Be This - The country's title "Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan" refers to the direct lineage of its rulers to the line of Muhammad.  Prophet Muhammad's great-grandfather was Hashim ibn Abd al-Manaf - from whom the Hashemite family takes their name.  In Arabic, Hashim means pulveriser and, with specific regard to Hashim ibn Abd al-Manaf, it referred to his habit of serving crumbled or pulverised bread broth to pilgrims.