Mostly Muslim, shrinking Christian numbers

Jordan is predominantly a Sunni Muslim country with about 92% of the populace following Sunni Islam. A further 2% are Shia Muslims. About 6% are Christian made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholic and Coptic mainly. Cities like the capital, Amman and Madaba, Salt and Kerkak have higher Christian proportions than the national average. However the Christian population has fallen significantly since 1950 when they made up about 30% of the population. This is mainly due to emigration; to the US, Canada and Europe predominantly.

Young and growing

The population of Jordan is about 6.2m and growing fast. This growth is a result both of a high birth rate (over 2% p.a.) and net migration (at around 0.6% p.a.). This has resulted in a very young population (almost a third of the population are under 15). There are 11 males for every 10 females in Jordan. The literacy rate has risen from around 33% in 1952 (the start of King Hussein's era) to about 91.5% today. Most Jordanians are Arabs though there are small communities of Circassians, Chechens, Armenians and Kurds. Around 60% are of Palestinian extraction.

Arabic, English, French and Russian

Arabic is the only official language in Jordan but English is widely spoken in business and government as well as amongst educated people. Both Arabic and English are taught in both private and public schools. French is also spoken in many schools, in many of which it is obligatory and a vibrant Francophone community exists in the country. Armenian and other related Circassian languages are spoken amongst those communities and Russian is spoken by many older Jordanians.

Arabic and Bedouin styles

Apart from the most common Arabic dishes, Jordanian food distinguishes itself mainly through Bedouin influences. Mansaf, spit-roasted lamb basted in spices, is very popular. It is usually served with rice, pine nuts, and often garnished with the lambs head! In desert areas such as Wadi Rum a Bedouin barbeque is a favourite where a selection of meats are cooked in a pit oven covered with sand. Pistachio nut is used in many deserts and black tea and coffee are ubiquitous.