Animals and Plants
What is growing in Jordan?
There is only a small amount of forest covered in Jordan; the proportion of forest is just one percent of the area. Above all cypresses, oaks and pines characterize the forest stands. On the one hand, a lot of forest was destroyed for the construction of a railway in the 19th century and, at the same time, a lot of pasture was created for the cattle and trees were also cleared for this purpose. Trees are still felled for heating purposes today. The consequence of this is even greater soil erosion and the rapid, further expansion of the desert. Almost nothing can grow here, only plants that are perfectly adapted to the desert landscape. But even in the driest desert, one or the other plant survives.
Shrubs have a good chance of survival
In the mountains of Jordan you can still find hard-leaved bushes or rosemary and lavender. In the steppe landscapes there are grassy areas and sometimes also a few trees and bushes, especially thorn bushes. Little grows in the deserts and if so, only in times when there is water, for example after rain in winter. Also in the river valleys, the “wadis”, which only carry water during the rainy season, there can be a more lush and green flora at the river’s edge.
One of the biggest problems: the water shortage
A major problem for Jordan is the country’s water scarcity. At the same time, the population is growing steadily. A large number of refugees from the war zones in Syria are added and they all have to be looked after. So the groundwater is not enough for the supply, water has to be bought.
One way of obtaining water is by desalination of sea water. For a long time, however, this was considered too expensive. In the meantime, however, people also rely on desalination plants that desalinate the water from the Red Sea.
Which animals live in Jordan?
The animal world in Jordan has adapted to its environment. In contrast to the flora, this is actually quite diverse, even if you would not suspect this at first glance. Wild goats live in the mountainous landscapes, roaming around and nibbling on the barren grass. But ibex and wild boar can also be discovered here, as well as jackals and foxes. Wolves and wild cats are also not so rare in these retreat regions, where no or only a few people live. Gazelles roam the desert and are sometimes prey to wild cats or hyenas. Not to mention the camels, which are mostly used by the Bedouins are important pack animals and farm animals without which they would probably not be able to survive in the desert.
Scorpios like to live in the desert and Jordan in particular is a country in which they occur in many species. The same goes for the lizards. Then there are birds of prey and birds that feed on carrion, i.e. dead animals.
Nature is protected in Jordan
There are now nature protection regions for many different animal species in Jordan. Many animals can retreat here. In the Azraq Wetlands Reserve, a wetland in the east of Amman, mainly bird species are protected, including the national bird of Jordan, the wildfinch. By the way, Jordan is also home to the deepest reserve on earth, namely the Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve at 410 meters below sea level. Above all, predators such as the Arabian leopard, foxes and wild cats are protected here.
Economy
Bananas need too much water!
As a country located in Middle East according to homeagerly, Jordan is a country that has few raw materials compared to its neighboring countries and especially the countries on the Arabian Peninsula. Phosphate is an important raw material in the country. There are also uranium stocks. There is also natural gas and oil, and low stocks of copper, iron and sulfur. Jordan had to introduce a large part of the energies over many years. Now the focus is increasingly on expanding solar energy. The expansion of renewable energies is to be further promoted. Only a small part of the country can be used for the cultivation of agricultural products. Because of the artificial irrigation
Agriculture is possible in the Jordan Rift. In addition to grain and lentils, tobacco, tomatoes, figs and bananas are also grown here. The latter in particular show that a lot is not always thought through consistently: Bananas simply need a lot of water. This is not a particularly good idea in a country where there is as little water as in Jordan.
Most people work in the service sector, others in industry. Tourism is particularly important, because the ancient sites of Jordan such as Petra or Aqaba attract many tourists to the country year after year.