Regions

Formal Regions

• Muhafazat al Balqa'
• Muhafazat al Karak
• Muhafazat at Tafilah
• Muhafazat `Amman
• Muhafazat al `Aqabah

Perceptual Regions

Jordan River Valley

• small, but fertile
• 10,000 years ago, start of ancient villages with harvested crops
• hot, dry summers
• short, mild winters
• 12 inches of rain per year
• part of the the Great Rift Valley (largest fault system in the world)
• the "food bowl" of Jordan
• only 6% of the country
  (South 7)

The Desert

• eastern and southern parts of Jordan
• less than 2 inches of rain per year
• 80% of the country's land mass
• northern desert is full of volcanic rock
• a couple of oases (fertile land and springs) are found
• Jordanian Desert is part of the Syrian Desert
  (South 8)

Wadi Rum

• "canyon" in Arabic
• so many surrounding hills make it feel below sea level, but in fact, it is not
• some Bedouins (a nomadic tribe of Arabs) live here and depend on tourists for their living
• home of a government-sponsored annual hot-air-balloon event
  (South 8)

Highlands

• between desert and the Jordan River
• 2-13 inches of rain per year
• mediterranean climate
• sandstorms are common
  (South 9)