Jordan

When you come to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for the first time, it is hard not to be caught by the various natural spectacles you come across while travelling through the country. At the top I would name Petra, the ancient ‘Rose City’ located in a basin flanked by impressive mountains. It is for sure followed by Wadi Rum, the desert close to the Red Sea and once home of Lawrence from Arabia. And last but not least the Dead Sea, which is amongst the favourite places tourists usually visit.

But the country is not only rich in nature but also in history which is related to Christianity, Islam and Judaism. In this country, people live together more or less peacefully; maybe it is one of the last most peaceful places left in the Middle East. Jordan tries to be neutral and serve everybody’s needs. But in the recent past, it reached the edge of its capacities regarding the massive flow of refugees from Syria and other neighbouring countries, which are in war or have ethnic conflicts. But it still remains one of the rare stable places in the Middle East.

Being located between Israel, Saudi-Arabia and Syria, Jordan is literally in a powder keg. Ruled by King Abdullah II, the country faces tremendous difficulties due to the civil war in the neighbouring country Syria, the increasing water shortage and tensed relations to Israel. The country’s economy is too weak to carry the burden of the arriving refugees by themselves.

Nevertheless, Jordan tries to be independent and is classified as an emerging market. The king has introduced liberal policies and the country is increasingly becoming attractive for investors, also because of the existing six economic trade zones country wide. The majority of Jordanians is well educated and especially the health sector is highly developed.