Amman Governorate

Amman Governorate

محافظة العاصمة
Amman Governorate محافظة العاصمة
Governorate
Country	Jordan
Capital	Amman
Subdivisions	List Capital Department; Marka Department; Al-Qwesmeh Department; University Department; Wadi Al Seer Department; Naour Department; Sahab Department; Al Jizah Department; Muwaqqar Department;
Government
• Governor	Saed Shihab
Area
• Total	7,579 km2 (2,926 sq mi)
Population (2015)
• Total	4,007,000
• Density	530/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zone	GMT +2
• Summer (DST)	+3
Area code	+(962)6
Urban	94%
Rural	6%
HDI (2021)	0.737; high · 1st of 12

Amman Governorate, officially known as Muhafazat al-Asima (

Abdali

district.

The Amman Governorate has the largest population of the 12 governorates of Jordan. It borders Zarqa Governorate to the north and north east, the governorates of Balqa and Madaba to the west, Karak and Ma'an governorates to the south. It also shares an international border with Saudi Arabia from the east.

History

The land covered by the Amman Governorate has been inhabited since the prehistoric age, ruins of civilizations as early as 7250 BC have been discovered at

'Ain Ghazal near Amman

, the site itself is one of the largest prehistoric settlements in the Middle East.

Amman was the capital and stronghold of the

Byzantine site at Umm ar-Rasas

was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2004.

Geography

The climate of the Amman Governorate is that of the Eastern Mediterranean climate. However, since Amman is located on a hilly plateau, the average annual precipitation and temperature generally may vary significantly from one location to another, even within the city of Amman. For instance, it may be snowing in the Sweileh district which has an elevation of 1050 m above sea level, but cloudy with no rain in the Amman city center, which has an elevation of 780 m. The Amman Governorate is the third largest governorate in Jordan by area and the largest by population.

Demographics

The Jordan national census of 2015 shows that the population of the Capital Governorate passed 4 millions, of whom more than 36% (1.45 million) were foreign nationals. This constitutes a sharp increase from the population of the 2004 census. One factor that contributed to the sharp increase in population is the high influx of refugees from neighboring countries.[2]

The Jordan national census of 2004 indicated that the total population of the Capital Governorate at the time was 1,942,066, which grew from 1,576,238 in the 1994 census at an average annual growth of 2.1%.^[3]

Demographics of Amman Governorate ^[4]	2004 Census	2015 Census
Female to Male ratio	48.58% to 51.42%	48.1% to 51.9%
Jordanian citizens to foreign nationals	88% to 12%	63.8% to 36.2%
Urban population	94%	96%
Rural population	6%	4%
Total population	1,942,066	4,007,000

The population of districts according to census results:^[5]

District	Population (Census 1994)	Population (Census 2004)	Population (Census 2015)
Amman Governorate	1,576,238	1,942,066	4,007,526
Al-Jāmi'ah	...	279,359	743,980
Al-Jīzah	32,446	42,051	118,004
Al-Mūaqqar	18,239	30,017	84,370
Al-Quwaysimah	...	257,260	582,659
Mārkā	...	483,819	956,104
Nā'ūr (Na'our)	37,281	66,220	129,650
Qaṣabah 'Ammān	...	552,511	855,955
Saḥāb	49,060	57,037	169,434
Wādī as-Sīr	132,195	173,792	367,370

Administrative divisions

Nahias

Article 4 of the administrative divisions system of the Jordanian Ministry of Interior states that the Amman Governorate is divided into nine

Greater Amman Municipality

.

Nahia of the Amman Governorate by population (2004)^[7]
	Nahia	Arabic Name	Subdivisions	population (2004)	Administrative Center
1	Capital Nahia (Al-Qasaba)	لواء قصبة عمان	includes six of Amman metropolitan districts	552,511	Abdali
2	Marka Nahia	لواء ماركا	includes four of Amman metropolitan districts	483,819	Marka
3	Al-Qwesmeh Nahia	لواء القويسمة	includes three of Amman metropolitan districts	257,260	Al Juwayyidah
4	University Nahia	لواء الجامعة	includes six of Amman metropolitan districts	279,359	Al Jubayhah
5	Wadi Al Seer Nahia	لواء وادي السير	includes three of Amman metropolitan districts and 12 other towns and villages	173,792	Wadi Al Seer
6	Naour Nahia	لواء ناعور	includes 25 towns and villages	66,220	Naour
7	Sahab Nahia	لواء سحاب	includes 7 towns and villages	57,037	Sahab
8	Al Jizah Nahia	لواء الجيزة	Includes 62 towns and villages	42,051	Al Jizah
9	Muwaqqar Nahia	لواء الموقر	includes 26 towns and villages	30,017	Al Mushaqqar