Roughly the size of Portugal

Jordan is a landlocked country and shares borders with Israel, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Jordan's land mass covers about 92m square kilometres (roughly the same size as Portugal). Most of the country sits on a plateau at between 700m and 1000m above sea level, with a few mountainous areas. Much of Jordan is covered by desert, particularly in the south and east. The Dead Sea is at the lowest point on the planet with its surface at about 430m below sea level, and the bottom thought to be about 825m below sea level.

Life in the desert

Jordan is not famous for its flora and fauna and indeed it doesn't have a rich haul of either. However Palaeolithic remains show that this area was once home to bears, zebras, lions, elephants and rhinos. Today you can find mongoose, lynx, striped hyenas, gazelles, various foxes and wolves. Plant species that can be found include Cedar, Cactus, Eucalyptus, Cedar and Pine. There are however over 400 species of bird in Jordan including pelicans, cormorants, petrels, herons, storks and various rare species.

Mediterranean climate mostly

The main contrast in Jordan's weather is between the rainy season from November until April and the dry season for the rest of the year. This Mediterranean style climate means summers are hot and almost completely dry with more variable winters during which almost all precipitation falls. The further from the Mediterranean an area is, the less rain it receives and hence there is more desert further inland.