Size Comparison Map: Israel vs. Jordan

Can tiny Israel afford to give away land to try to placate the Arabs? Compare Israel’s size to Jordan, just one of the 4 Arab countries bordering Israel (not counting independent Gaza):

Size Comparison Map of Israel and Jordan
Note: The map above does not necessarily reflect the minor border modifications that were made in the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel in 1994.

Jordan: 89,342 sq. km / 34,495 sq. mi

Israel + administrated territories: 27,869 sq. km / 10,760 sq. mi

Ratio, Jordan to Israel: 3.2:1

Jordan makes up 77% of what was the Palestine Mandate. The Mandate which originally created to allow for a “Jewish national home”, but Transjordan was created to the east of the Jordan river and Jews were excluded from living there. The name was changed to Jordan after Transjordan conquered what is today called the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1948 war.

The majority of the citizens of Jordan are in fact Palestinian Arabs. However, the king of Jordan is a descendant of Abdullah, the first ruler of Transjordan, who was given the area to rule as reward for aiding the Arab Revolt during World War I. Abdullah was not from Jordan. He was from Mecca, in what is now Saudi Arabia.

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