Zarqa الزرقاء Az-zarqā | |
|---|---|
City | |
 .jpg)  Counter-clockwise from top: View of Zarqa, Jabal Tariq quarter, The Zarqa Chamber of Commerce | |
 Flag | |
  Zarqa | |
| Coordinates:32°05′N36°06′E / 32.083°N 36.100°E /32.083; 36.100 | |
| Country |  Jordan |
| Governorate | Zarqa Governorate |
| Settled | 1902 |
| Municipality | 1929 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Mayor | Hijazi Assaf |
| Area | |
• Total | 60 km2 (23 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 619 m (2,031 ft) |
| Population (2015) | |
• Total | 635,160 |
| • Density | 11,000/km2 (27,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | +3 |
| Area code | +(962)5 |
Zarqa (Arabic:الزرقاء) is the capital ofZarqa Governorate inJordan. Its name means "the blue (city)". It had a population of 635,160 inhabitants in 2015,[1] and is the second most populous city in Jordan afterAmman.
Although the area has been inhabited since the first century AD, the city of Zarqa was only established in 1902, byChechen immigrants who were displaced due to the wars between theOttoman andRussian Empires and the simultaneousCircassian genocide.[2][3] They settled along the Zarqa River. At that time a station on theHejaz Railway was built in the new settlement. The railway station turned Zarqa into an important hub. On 10 April 1905, the Ottoman governor issued a decree that allowed the Chechen immigrants to own the land they had settled on. The population then quickly grew in size. On 18 November 1928, the new Jordanian government issued a decree to establish the first municipal council for Zarqa.
After theTransjordan Frontier Force was formed in 1926, military bases were constructed in the city by theBritish Army, and the city later became known as the "military city".[4] The headquarters of Jordan'sArab Legion were also located in Zarqa.
The oldest Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan, known asZarqa Camp, is located near the city. It was set up by theInternational Committee of the Red Cross in 1949, after theNakba and the subsequent exodus of Palestinian refugees from the1948 Arab-Israeli War. Although the camp initially consisted of tents,UNRWA eventually replaced these tents with concrete shelters.[5] More refugees came to Zarqa after the 1990–91Gulf War, when theKuwaiti government expelled a quarter-million Palestinians, whom it suspected of supporting Saddam Hussein's Iraq in that war. More than half of those expelled went to Zarqa or the nearby city ofRusseifa.[6]
During theBlack September conflict in 1970,Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine members hijacked five airplanes, and forced three to land atDawson's Field, an airstrip in the desert near Zarqa.
Zarqa is regarded today as a "marginalized" and "conservative" city,[7] with a large Palestinian population.[6] It is a stronghold of politicalIslamism, and is home to many supporters of the oppositionIslamic Action Front party, which is the political wing of theMuslim Brotherhood in Jordan. The city was home to jihadistAbu Musab al-Zarqawi, the first leader ofAl-Qaeda in Iraq.[8] About one-third of Jordanians who left to fight in theSyrian Civil War, mainly for Islamist groups, are believed to have come from Zarqa - more than from any other area in the country.[9]
Zarqa is located in theZarqa River basin in northeastJordan. The city is situated 15 miles (24 km) northeast ofAmman, and its area is 60 square kilometers.[10]
Zarqa has a coldsemi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification:BSk). The average annual temperature is 17.4 °C (63.3 °F), and around 182 mm (7.17 in) of precipitation falls annually, mostly in winter months. Zarqa's elevation is 619 meters above sea level.
| Climate data for Zarqa | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 13.2 (55.8) | 15.1 (59.2) | 18.5 (65.3) | 23.7 (74.7) | 28.6 (83.5) | 31.5 (88.7) | 32.6 (90.7) | 32.6 (90.7) | 31.5 (88.7) | 27.7 (81.9) | 21.0 (69.8) | 14.9 (58.8) | 24.2 (75.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 8.1 (46.6) | 9.6 (49.3) | 12.4 (54.3) | 16.6 (61.9) | 20.9 (69.6) | 23.7 (74.7) | 25.0 (77.0) | 25.0 (77.0) | 23.7 (74.7) | 20.1 (68.2) | 14.6 (58.3) | 9.5 (49.1) | 17.4 (63.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.0 (37.4) | 4.1 (39.4) | 6.3 (43.3) | 9.6 (49.3) | 13.2 (55.8) | 15.9 (60.6) | 17.5 (63.5) | 17.4 (63.3) | 16.0 (60.8) | 12.5 (54.5) | 8.2 (46.8) | 4.1 (39.4) | 10.7 (51.2) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 42 (1.7) | 38 (1.5) | 31 (1.2) | 10 (0.4) | 3 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 4 (0.2) | 20 (0.8) | 34 (1.3) | 182 (7.2) |
| Source:[11] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 1,000 | — |
| 1928 | 6,000 | +7.43% |
| 1952 | 28,456 | +6.70% |
| 1994 | 350,849 | +6.16% |
| 2004 | 395,227 | +1.20% |
| 2015 | 635,160 | +4.41% |
| 2025 | 929,300 | +3.88% |
With a population of 929,300, Zarqa stands as thesecond most-populous city in Jordan after Amman, and theseventh in the Levant. The city forms a continuous urban area with Russeifa and Amman, creating ametro with a population of approximately 6,708,860. This makes it one of the most populous in the Middle East and the largest in theLevant.
The city of Zarqa is divided into five districts that have a combined area of about 60 km2 (23 sq mi), and another two districts within the radius of influence of the city.[clarification needed]
| District | Area (km2) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | First District (City center) | 2.96 |
| 2 | Second District (Althawra Al-Arabiya) | 11.3 |
| 3 | Third District (Ewajan) | 12.2 |
| 4 | Fourth District (Zawahreh) | 16 |
| 5 | Fifth District (New Zarqa) | 17 |
| 6 | Sports Complex District | 3.5 |
| 7 | Zarqa City Gardens District | 19 |
From 1908-20, theHejaz Railway connected Zarqa to Amman, to the south; and toSyria, to the north.[citation needed]
Zarqa lies on the international highway that connectsSaudi Arabia with Syria, and the international Amman-Baghdad highway also passes through the city.[citation needed]
Zarqa is Jordan's industrial centre. It is home to over 50% of Jordanian factories. The growth of industry in the city is the result of low real estate costs and proximity to the capital Amman.[citation needed]
Several facilities that are vital to Jordan's economy are based in Zarqa, such as Jordan's only oil refinery plant. According to the Zarqa Chamber of Commerce, 10% of Jordan's total exports in 2011 came fromZarqa Governorate, amounting to more than US$512 million. Leather and garment products constituted about 52% of Zarqa'a exports, followed by chemical, agricultural and pharmaceutical products.[citation needed]
In September 2020, massive explosions occurred at an army munitions depot for mortars near Zarqa, caused by ashort circuit.[12]
There are three universities in Zarqa, the largest of which isHashemite University. The other two areAl-Balqa` Applied University andZarqa University. Other community colleges and research centres are based in Zarqa such as the Al-Zarqa Educational & Investment. The city is also home to many secondary schools (or high schools), most notably the Zarqa Secondary School for Boys, which is considered one of the oldest high schools in Jordan.[citation needed]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Palestine refugee camps locations and populations as of 2015[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
