Jordan: Capital, Flag and Fun Facts

About Jordan

Jordan is a mostly desert country in Western Asia, with a short coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea. The Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea lie along its western side. It is famous for Petra, a city carved into rock, and the desert valley of Wadi Rum.

About Amman

Amman was first built on seven hills and now spreads across many more. Known in ancient times as Philadelphia, it has a Roman theatre downtown and an ancient citadel on a hilltop.

Fun facts about Jordan

1. Petra was carved into red sandstone cliffs by the Nabataeans and is entered through a narrow gorge called the Siq.
2. Wadi Rum has about 25,000 rock carvings and shows signs of 12,000 years of human life.
3. Jordan's only coastline is about 26 km long, on the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea.
4. Scientists in Jordan found the world's oldest known evidence of bread-making, from about 14,500 years ago.
5. Mansaf, lamb cooked with a sauce of dried yogurt and served with rice, is Jordan's national dish.
6. Jerash is one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the Middle East.