17 River Jordan Facts: An Important Middle East Water Body!

Do you know that the River Jordan is known by three different names in the three countries?

Nahr al Urdun is the Arabic name for the River Jordan. Nahar ha-Yarden is its Hebrew name.

The River Jordan is around 225 mi (360 km) long and is one of the largest rivers. The origin of the river lies in the slopes of Mount Hermon.

Mount Hermon is situated in the border areas of Lebanon and Syria. The river flows in the southern direction towards northern Israel and drains to the Sea of Galilee. From here the river drops to 693 ft (210 m) below sea level.

In the Middle East, the River Jordan is considered to be one of the lowest rivers in the world. The river finally drains the water into the Dead Sea which is 1,320 ft (400 m) below sea level.

The area of location of the Jordan River is holy for the three communities Muslims, Jews, and Christians. Hence the river is equally important for them for economic as well as historical purposes.

Here are some River Jordan facts that you might not know! After reading about the mention of the River Jordan in the old testament, also check River Wye facts and River Wear facts.

Mythological Factors

Jordan is considered as one of the holy rivers in the world. Jordan is also a major reason for the dispute between the people of Israel and Palestine.

As per the old testament, two tribes and the half-tribe settled east of Jordan. They constructed a large altar along its banks in the form of a witness between them and the other tribes.

Both the countries claim that Jordan is the essential boundary of the indivisible hometown. The Hebrew Bible also refers to the River Jordan in the texts and has defined the river as a border of the Promised land.

The Jordan River brings a provocative aspect to the current dispute and struggle in the region. The Jordan River was explored along with the Dead Sea in 1835 by a team of navigators Christopher Coastigan, Thomas Molyneux, William Lynch, and Macgregor.

In 1964 there was a water pumping station that was operated by the people of Israel to bring the water belonging to the Sea of Galilee to the National Water Carrier. Later the Jordanian side built a channel to have diverted water from the Yarmouk River to the East Ghor channel.

Yarmouk River is the main tributary of the River Jordan.

The neighbors like Syria also came forward to construct their own channels for human purposes to make use of the Yarmouk River water. To build reservoirs led to the exhaustion of the Jordan River and excessive use of natural resources.

The environmentalists, therefore, blame the three countries Israel, Syria, and Jordan for contaminating the ecosystem of the Jordan River.

The extensive use of 90% of water for human activities reduces the natural flow of the river. This causes a high evaporation rate of the Dead Sea which is now shrinking rapidly due to the extraction of salts.

Environmental Factors

The health of any river is considered to be the flow rate consistency over the centuries. Unfortunately, the flow rate of the Jordan River has reduced between (20-30 million cu. m.) every year. Jordan drains into the Dead Sea.

Back in 2010, the flow rate was (1.3 billion cu. m.) per year. Clearly, the difference is evident in modern times.

The major cause of damage to the river is due to pollution and agricultural runoff. The northern portion of the Jordan which lies below the Sea of Galilee is devoted to tourism and baptism. From here the downstream stretch of around 62 mi (100 km) is polluted and damaged severely.

Three countries use the water of River Jordan and also dump their waste into it which led to the drainage of sewage and other waste that destroyed shallow waters and the ecosystem of the Jordan River. The Jordan River is now among the hundred world's most endangered ecological sites.

The only hope to revive the Jordan River is with the cooperation and collaborative efforts of Israel and neighboring states. There are frequent fluctuations in the high water period and the low water period of the river.

Historic Significance

The River Jordan has a historic resemblance as it is believed that Jesus visited the site for his baptism. The New Testament has the reference of John the Baptist who also came here to carry out the ceremony.

Jordan is the exact place where the baptist holds the record of calling Jesus as the Son of God. There is also a site named Al-Maghtas on the east side which was believed to be the exact location of the baptism of Jesus.

That place is now recognized as a place of worship and pilgrimage by Christian women and the community. The countries and neighboring states were never characterized as drylands in any of the historical references.

According to Jewish mythology, the Israeli people traveled a difficult path from slavery towards freedom thus Jordan is referred to as freedom in the Promised Land. The Jordan River is also a frequent symbol in folk and spiritual music. It has inspired many poets and authors where they used the reference of the Jordan River in their artwork.

Cool Facts About River Jordan

The upper basin of River Jordan is created by a number of basins of other rivers; the basin of Banias River, Hasbani River, Dan River, Jabbok River, and the Iyyon River Basin are the major ones. In order to cross the Jordan River, there are two primary bridges at the northern and the southern end.

The latter is located near Jericho called Allenby Bridge and the northern bridge called Sheikh Hussein Bridge. The actual crossing area is named the Jordan River crossing. Thus River Jordan is important for the life of people and the second-largest source of water in the countries.

The upper course of the River Jordan drains to the Sea of Galilee and the lower course joins the Dead Sea. The upper course is traditionally known as Hula Valley whereas the lower course is termed as Jordan valley.

The lower course of the river is fed by the Zarqa River and the River Yarmouk. River Jordan appears to be characterized by the thermal springs which is a major attraction.

The sharp crests formed in the Jordan Valley are surrounded by white poplars. The river valley on both the east bank and the west bank is characterized by various flora and fauna. The large plain area of the river has also been found to have salt residue.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for River Jordan facts then why not take a look at River Tweed facts, or River Shannon facts.