Jordan \Jordan\ prop. n.
   A landlocked country of the Middle East, surrounded by
   Israel, Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, and that area on the
   west bank of the Jordan river which was once claimed by
   Jordan, and is at present occupied by Israel and in part
   governed by a Palestinian authority. It has a population of
   4,212,152 (1996) in a total area of 89,213 sq km. The
   population is predominantly Arab and Moslem. Officially known
   as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, it was formerly called
   Trans-Jordan when occupied by the British. The government
   is a constitutional monarchy, with King Hussein Bin Talal Al
   Hashimi as its ruler since 2 May 1953. Jordan is a small
   developing Arab country, having a Gross Domestic Product of
   $19.3 billion in 1995. --CIA Factbook 1996.
   [PJC] Jordan