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Payment : money and exchange
Food and beverage
Health
Television and radio
The press
The climate
Various information
Indicative prices of life in Jordan
The Jordanian dinar, whose symbol is JD, is the country's
local currency. There are 1, 5, 10, 20 and 50 dinar notes. The
dinar is divided into 100 piasters or 1 000 fils. The coins
carry the following designations : 10, 25, 50 and 100 fils,
¼ and ½ JD.
Money can be exchanged in big banks, authorized exchange agencies
and in most hotels. There are many ATMs where one can withdraw
money easily. Moreover, most shops and hotels accept international
credit cards.
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Food has a major importance in the Arabic culture since it expresses hospitality and generosity. Local food is composed of a range of delicious first courses, called mezzeh, flavored bread, honey topped desserts, and pistachios. Mansaf is a traditional Jordanian specialty made of mutton, a certain kind of local yogurt cream and of rice.
Coffee and tea :
The Jordanian Arabic coffee is strong, served in tiny cups, and often cardamom flavored. Coffee is a symbol of hospitality.
Alcohol :
Alcoholic drinks are served in most of the cities restaurants and bars, except during the month of Ramadhan. The araq is a locally fabricated liquor ; it is a sort of anisette close to the Greek ouzo.
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Pharmacies :
Pharmacies can provide drugs for light pain, but visitors need to bring any particular drug that they usually use, just in case it was not available. Some pharmacies continue to be open during the night; their names can be found in the Jordan Times.
In big cities, medical services are excellent. Since medicine is taught in English, the majority of the country’s doctors are bilingual (Arabic/English). Big hotels always have a duty doctor, in addition, embassies can give you advice on which doctors and hospitals you might need.
Amman has many well-equipped hospitals.
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The Jordanian television transmits in English and French on its second channel; daily programs are indicated in the Jordan Times. CNN and many other satellite channels can be picked up in all big hotels.
The English service of the Jordanian radio broadcasts its programs on FM 96,3 MHz, round the clock, the French service is broadcasted from 7am to 8pm, on FM 90 MHz, with the news bulletin every one hour.
The International BBC service broadcasts in English to Jordan on FM 103,1 MHz, for 24 hours a day. Radio Sawa broadcasts round the clock from Washington D.C. on FM 98,1 MHz. Radio Monte-Carlo broadcasts henceforth on FM as well.
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The country’s main English daily is the Jordan Times. A weekly paper, Le Star, is published in English on Thursdays and has a French supplement. Foreign newspapers can be found in big hotels and in certain shops.
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The hot weather dominates during the summer, but demi-seasons are pleasant. Winter is nice/pleasant in the South, but can be rainy and cold in the North.
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Time zone :
+ 2 hours to the Greenwich meridian during the winter
+ 3 hours to the Greenwich meridian during the summer
Weekly rest :
For the private sector, the weekly rest day is Friday.
For the public sector and banks, Friday and Saturday constitute the weekend.
Phone calls :
The dialing code for calling Jordan is 00 + 962 + the zone’s dialing code (without zero) + the number of the person you want to call
Dialing codes :
| Irbid, Umm Qais, Jerash, Ajlun ; |
2 |
| Aqaba, Petra, Ma’an, Karak |
3 |
| Salt, Dead Sea, Jordan Valley, Madaba |
5 |
| Amman |
6 |
| Amman airport |
8 |
Entry procedures :
The visa can be obtained for an amount of 10 JD either at the Jordanian Embassy in Paris or on the spot. It is valid for a 15-day period after which it has to be renewed at the nearest police station for a period of three months (a free procedure). A departure tax is required regardless of the sojourn duration. The amount is of 5 JD, which must be paid in cash.
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1. Visas
| |
JD |
| Single entry visit or transit |
10 |
| Departure tax |
5 |
2. Electricity tariffs
| |
JD |
| Domestic 1-160 KWH |
0.04 |
| 161-300 |
0.07 |
| 301-500 |
0.09 |
| Above 500 |
0.11 |
| Commercial 1-2500 |
0.09 |
| Manufacture (small size firms) maximum load |
0.03 |
Manufacture (medium size firms) maximum load
- Day time
- Night time
|
4.33
0.05
0.03
|
3. Water tariffs
| Domestic |
JD |
| 0-20 m3 |
4.650 JD set price |
| 40 m3 |
2.650 JD+120 fils/ m3 |
| 70 m3 |
3.650 JD+120 fils/ m3 |
| 71-99 m3 |
3.650 JD+100-500 fils/ m3 |
| 100 m3 |
3.650 JD+533 fils/ m3 |
| 120 m3 |
3.650 JD+664 fils/ m33 |
| Above 131 m3 |
3.650 JD+850 fils/ m3 |
| Non-domestic |
1 m3= 1 JD + 3.650 JD set price |
4. Labor costs
| Country |
Labor cost (US$/hour )
|
| Japan |
16.68 |
| Germany |
16.00 |
| USA |
12.96 |
| Canada |
11.06 |
| UK |
9.50 |
| Israel |
8.44 |
| France |
6.91 |
| Cyprus |
4.59 |
| Bahrain |
1.40 |
| Jordan |
0.90 |
Source : Yearbook of Labor Statistics (1995)
| Unskilled |
$ 180/month |
| Semi-skilled |
$ 250/month |
| Skilled and technical |
$ 600/month |
| Administrative |
$ 450/month |
| Basic salaries of Select Occupations in Jordan, 1995 |
Average Range of Monthly Salary ($US) |
| General Manager |
1 400-3 500 |
| Finance & Administrative Manager |
1 100-2 500 |
| Marketing Manager |
850-1 700 |
| Department Manager |
700-1 200 |
| Engineers (mechanical, electrical, civil, maintenance) |
400-700 |
| Accountants |
350-650 |
| Secretaries |
250-700 |
| Foremen, Supervisors |
250-450 |
| Cashiers, Clerks, Receptionists |
250-450 |
| Nurses, Teachers |
200-550 |
| Waiters, Drivers, Messengers |
200-350 |
| Labor workers (manufacturing) |
90-230 |
Cost of principal food and fuel commodities :
Sugar : 0.500 JD/Kg
Olive oil : 2.100 JD/litter
Frozen peas : 1.496 JD/ 450 grams
Bread : 0.250 JD/Kg
Cheese spread : 0.600 JD/ 140 grams
Butter : 0.400 JD / 100 grams
Pasta : 0.200 JD/Kg
Fuel : super 0.505 JD/ litter
$ 1 US = 0.710 JD (fixed rate)
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