Ma'an Governorate

Ma'an is one of the governorates of Jordan. It sits to the south of Amman, the capital city of Jordan. The main city in this area is called Ma'an. This part of Jordan is special because it is the biggest governorate in the whole country, covering a lot of land.

History

The land of Ma'an Governorate has many important historic sites. Long ago, it was ruled by the Edomite people, whose capital was in Busaira in nearby Tafilah Governorate. Later, the Nabateans built the famous ancient city of Petra, one of the most important places in the Middle East. After defending against attacks, Petra became part of the Roman Empire in 103 A.D.

People have lived in this area since at least 7000 BC, with one of the world's earliest villages, Basta, where they farmed and raised animals. In the 7th century A.D., the lands became part of the Islamic Khaliphate. Later, Crusaders built a big castle called Montreal in the town of Shoubak. For a short time in 1920, Ma'an was the capital of an Arab state before the capital moved to Amman.

In the 1990s, the Al-Jafr desert in Ma'an was used to test the ThrustSSC, a very fast land vehicle made in Britain. It was the first land vehicle to go faster than the speed of sound.

Geography

Ma'an Governorate is the largest area among the 12 governorates in Jordan, but it has very few people living there—less than 4 people for every square kilometer. It shares borders with Saudi Arabia to the east and south, and it touches Aqaba, Tafilah, Karak, and Amman Governorate to the west and north.

The weather in Ma'an is mostly like a desert, but the western highlands have a Mediterranean climate. Rain falls between 50 mm in the desert areas and 250 mm in the western highlands, and even more than 500 mm in the Sharah mountains.

Demographics

The population of different areas in Ma'an Governorate can be seen in the results of the census.

Administrative divisions

The ministry of Interior splits the Ma'an Governorate into four departments. This was set up under Article 7 of the rules from the year 2000. The main department, which includes the capital city, has five smaller parts inside it.