Jordan Flag

The flag of Jordan is made up of of three equally sized horizontal bands of black, white, and green, as well as a red triangular chevron on the mast side of the flag with a seven-sided white star in the middle of the chevron. This flag was officially adopted by the country on 18 April 1928, seven years after becoming a British Protectorate in 1921 and becoming completely independent of the now defunct Ottoman Empire.

The Pan-Arab colours of red, white, black, and green have been in use as a symbol of Arab freedom dating back to World War I. These colours have formed a crucial symbolic relationship with Arab nationalism in Jordan as well as other countries in the region such as Egypt, Iraq, and Syria. The black, green, and white bands represent the ancient Caliphates of Umayyad, Abbasid, and Fatimid who were some of the first Muslim communities in the world. The red chevron represents the Arab Revolt of 1916 as well as the Hashemite Dynasty, the ruling family of Jordan. The star is perhaps the most symbolic part of the Jordanian flag, and it is intended to represent the unity of the Arab people, as well as seven verses in the Quaran.

The original Pan-Arab flag from the Arab Revolt during World War I was designed by a British diplomat, Sir Mark Sykes. This flag was created to inspire Arab freedom fighters to rally around a symbol in pursuit of defeating the Ottoman Empire. Many Arab nations have used similar colour schemes in their flags because of the historical connotations of independence.

Jordan was a part of the Ottoman Empire for over 600 years and has previously used the red with white crescent and star flag as well as the Union Jack when the country was a part of the British protectorate of Jordan and Palestine. Jordan's first flag is very similar to the contemporary banner minus the seven-sided white star and is known as the flag of the Emirate of Jordan, flown from 1921-1928. This same flag was also used in a short-lived Arab Federation of Iraq and Jordan for a few months during 1958.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

More on Graphicmaps

Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Amman
Languages	Arabic (official), English (widely understood among upper and middle classes)
Ethnic Groups	Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
Religion	Muslim 97.2% (official; predominantly Sunni), Christian 2.2% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), Buddhist 0.4%, Hindu 0.1%, Jewish <0.1, folk religionist <0.1, unaffiliated <0.1, other <0.1 (2010 est.)
Government	Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Independance	25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
Area	89,342.00 km²
Water Area	540.00 km²
Land Area	88,802.00 km²
Population	8,185,384.00 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
Location	Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia, between Israel (to the west) and Iraq
No. Bordering Countries	5
Bordering Countries	Iraq 179 km, Israel 307 km, Saudi Arabia 731 km, Syria 379 km, West Bank 148 km
GDP(PPP)	$86,190,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$11,100.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are textiles, fertilizers, potash, and phosphates.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Saudi Arabia, China, and the United States.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include crude oil, refined petroleum products, machinery, and transport equipment.
Climate	Mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)
Terrain	Mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates eastern and western banks of the Jordan River
Learn More	Jordan

Jordan Flag

More on Graphicmaps

What is a Trade Embargo?

Which Two Countries Used to Have the Same Flag?

What Is the Only Two-Sided State Flag?

Which Country Flag Looks Like the Texas Flag?

Flags That Resemble the US Flag

What is Demography?