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Telephones:
Telephone directories in Arabic and English can be found in hotels,
Jordan has international direct dialling with most countries in the world, and calls can be made either from a telephone office or hotel or public phones.
Telephone area codes of the major cities within Jordan are:
02 Irbid;
03 Petra, Aqaba, Ma'an, Kerak;
04 Jerash, Ajloun, Mafraq;
05 Salt, Dead Sea;
06 Amman;
08 Airport, Madaba;
09 Zarqa.
The international country code is 962 to call a number outside
Jordan, dial
00, followed by the country code, area code and the number required.
Climate:
Jordan has a Mediterranean climate Amman is sunny and cloudless from May to October, with average temperatures of
23C (73F), July and August are hot and dry.
Aqaba and the Jordan Valley are winter resorts, with temperatures averaging between
16-22C (61-72F) between November and April.
Currency:
The local currency is the Jordanian Dinar, (JD) = 1000 Fils.Currency can be exchanged in all banks and at most hotels.
Exchange rate of one Us Dollar = 0.710 Fils. (May
1998)
Clothing:
In summer, some evenings can be cool, so a sweater is advisable.
Winters can be extremely cold, especially in Amman and the east, one will need a raincoat.
Electricity:
The electrical system is based on 220 AC volts,
50 cycles, and requires rounded two-prong wall plugs.
Water:
It is considered safe to drink for travellers with delicate stomachs, bottled water are cheap and readily available.
Water is a precious resource in Jordan, and visitors are asked not to waste it unnecessarily.
National Holidays:
Banks, business, government offices and many shops close on the following national
holidays:
New Year: 1 January
Tree Day (Arbour day) 15 January
Arab League Day 22 March
Labour Day 1 May
Independence Day 25 May
Arab Renaissance Day 10 June
Kings Hussein's Accession 11 August
King Hussein's Birthday 14 November
Christmas Day 25 December
And the muslems holidays that are based on the lunar calendar.
Ramadan:
It is the holy month of fasting, the date of which varies according to the Islamic Lunar calendar. During Ramadan, alcohol is not sold, except for non-Arabs in large hotels, and smoking, eating and drinking in public is prohibited during the hours of daylight.
During Ramadan, one should not dress in a provocative way.
Time:
From October through March, Jordan is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time; The rest of the year, it is Three hours ahead of GMT. |
