Zarqa Governorate
| Muħāfazat az-Zarqā Zarqa Governorate
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| Basic data | |
| Country | Jordan |
| Capital | Zarqa |
| surface | 4761 km² |
| Residents | 1,364,878 (2015) |
| density | 287 inhabitants per km² |
| ISO 3166-2 | JO-AZ |
Coordinates: 31 ° 54 ' N , 36 ° 45' E
The Zarqa Governorate ( Arabic محافظة الزرقاء, DMG Muḥāfaẓat az-Zarqāʾ ) is one of the twelve governorates of Jordan. The seat of the government administration is in Zarqa .
The governorate covers an area of 4,761 km² and has a population of 1,364,878 (2015).
history
The area has been inhabited by humans since the Bronze Age and has seen the rule of various empires such as those of the Ammonites , Nabataeans , Romans and the Umayyads . The desert castle Qusair ʿAmra , which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site , comes from the latter .
After the construction of the Hejaz railway by the Ottomans in the early 20th century, Zarqa developed into a strategically important junction that Damascus with Medina joined. The towns along the railroad flourished. Later, Jordan's Arab Legion , led by Glubb Pasha , had its main base in Zarqa.
geography
The Zarqa governorate is bordered by the Mafraq governorate to the north and northeast, the Amman governorate to the south and south-west, and the Jarash governorate and the al-Balqa governorate to the west . It also has an international border with Saudi Arabia in the southeast.
Most of the area covered by the governorate is part of the Syrian desert plateau . The densely populated western regions of the governorate belong to the catchment area of the Zarqa River. The two cities of Zarqa and Russeifa are the second and fourth largest cities in Jordan.
The Muwaffaq Salti Air Base is located within the governorate.
Demographics
More than 90% of the population lives in cities and, like in other parts of the country, is growing rapidly.
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1994 (census) | 639.469 |
| 2004 (census) | 764,650 |
| 2015 (census) | 1,364,878 |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Jordan: Administrative Division, Governorates and Districts . citypopulation.de. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
- ↑ Jordan: Governments & Cities - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information. Retrieved May 19, 2019 .
