What Does Jordan Mean?

Jordan is a nation lying in the south west part of Asia. One of the oldest countries, the nation was present even during Biblical times. The country shares its history with Israel and both the nations share parts of a region which is known as Palestine. The Jordan we know today was once a part of the Israel kingdom under David and Solomon (circa 1000 BC). It was conquered by the Romans in the 1st century AD and by Arabic Muslims in the 7th century AD.

The region was annexed by the Ottoman Empire during the 16th century. They acquired the region from 1516 right till the end of the World War I.  The region then known as Transjordan became part of the British mandate of Palestine. Britain gave partial independence to Transjordan in the year 1923. The region was declared independent in the year 1946 and the British mandate finally ended in 1948. The region of Transjordan was rechristened as Jordan in the year 1949 after acquiring West Bank, a land-locked region to the west of Jordan River. It later renounced the West Bank in 1974.

The country currently has a population of more than 5,450,000 people.  The capital city of the country is Amman. The majority of the population is Arabic and almost one-third of the populace are Palestinian Arabs who migrated to Jordan from Israel and West Bank because of the Arab-Israeli wars which transpired in the later half of the 20th century. The economy of Jordan thrives in manufacturing and tourism as a service industry.

Jordan can also be a boy's or a girl's name. The name has a Hebrew origin, meaning "down-flowing." Jordan River is the name of river in the Palestine region, rising in Syria and flowing to the northern end of the Dead Sea.

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