Economy in Jordan

It is 5 days into the Study Abroad program and we have had an excellent time. Gaining internet access has been difficult to say the least, but we are finally able to bring you an update on our trip.

In our trip to the Al-Hassan Industrial Estate, we were able to discover that this industrial park was initiated in an "act of good will" towards the peace process between Israel and Jordan. Jordan is able to create jobs while strengthening its infrastructure through industrialization. Because of the insufficiency in oil and water (by the way gas costs roughly the same as it does in the United States, to speak of, but is considered very expensive because of the low cost of living), Jordan has fallen behind and has greatly needed the growth of industry. This industrial zone serves that purpose in providing Israel and other countries necessary needs, while also providing the US and Israel duty-free shipping for goods (and the US returns this as well).

In 1996, a peace process was initiated in Congress to create these industrial zones (10 in all) for the purpose of stabilizing peace through the duty-free goods. Because these goods are duty-free, it is wise for investors to invest in these parks, which spurs growth. The industrial park we visited was the first of 10 to become fully functional.

We were also able to visit Um-Qais, the location at which one can see Israel and Syria. Through this trip, we were able to see from a political standpoint (since 1/2 of us are PS majors) why the Golan Heights is such a strategic location militarily speaking and why Israel is slow to give it to Syria. The Golan Heights provide great height and advantage to whomever owns it because it over looks Syria and Israel. Great lookout point. It was fantastic to be able to see all of this first-hand.

If you would like to see pictures of our journies, just look under the "Instructions for Viewing" on the left and follow the instructions... we will keep it updated!

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Here is some information about the country which we will be visiting for 2 weeks.

Jordan is a constitutional monarchy with a developing economy and a modern infrastructure. The population is estimated at 6.2 million, with the capital Amman hosting a third. The official language is Arabic, but English is widely understood (especially in the cities) among upper and middle classes. Islam is the main religion with 92% of the population being Sunni Muslim, while Christianity makes up 6% (mostly Greek Orthodox). We will be arriving on their independence day (granted, late in the evening), May 25th. Their independence was won from British mandated governance in 1946. The Jordanian currency is the Dinar and 1 Dinar equals $1.41.

Jordan has struggled with problems of poverty and unemployment in the past due to the effects of insufficient water and oil. However, Jordan graduated from the International Monetary Fund's program to increase its economy and productivity in 1999, and has made steady advancements toward building a strong economy. Jordan maintains a free-trade agreement with the US in which it is allowed to export goods duty-free to America.

We will be staying in the city of Irbid, where Yarmouk University is located, and will be commuting from there to various places to experience Jordan to the fullest.

Our First Assignment

The first thing we must do before leaving for Jordan is prepare for the presentation we will be giving when we arrive there. The topic is the economy of Bowling Green and we hope to discuss the various aspects which influence the strong economy here, and how Bowling Green compares to other cities in the United States. Here is how the project was assigned:

Seth - Introduction and Basic Statistics on Bowling Green

Joshua S. - Service Sector (commercial companies, private businesses, construction)

Joshua H. - Manufacturing Sector (factories, etc.)

Ahmed - Tourism (Lost River, Mammoth Cave, Beech Bend)

Some links that we gained information from are thinkkentucky.com and southcentralky.com.