JORDAN

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Al-Mamlaka al-Urdunniyya al-Hashimiyya CAPITAL: ‘Amman FLAG: The national flag is a tricolor of black, white, and green horizontal stripes with a seven-pointed white star on a red triangle at the hoist. ANTHEM: As-Salam al-Maliki (Long Live the King). MONETARY UNIT: The Jordanian dinar (JD) is a paper currency of 1,000 fils. There are coins of 1, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100, and 250 fils and notes of ½, 1, 5, 10, and 20 dinars. JD1 = $1.412 (or $1 = JD0.708) as of January 2003. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: The metric system is the legal standard, but some local and Syrian units are still widely used, especially in the villages. HOLIDAYS: Arbor Day, 15 January; Independence Day, 25 May; Accession of King Hussein, 11 August; King Hussein’s Birthday, 14 November. Muslim religious holidays include the 1st of Muharram (Islamic New Year), ‘Id al-Fitr, ‘Id al-‘Adha’, and Milad an-Nabi. Christmas and Easter are observed by sizable Christian minorities. TIME: 2 PM = noon GMT.