Scorer’s Tent: Golf league results and upcoming events in Polk County – The Ledger

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Results from golf league play around Polk County through June 7 with format, date, event and winners by flight or class in alphabetical order.

Big Cypress 18-Hole Ladies, Holes 1-6 One Best Ball Net, Holes 7-12 Two Best Balls Net, Holes 13-18 Three Best Balls Net, May 25: Cathy Kosmicki/Kay Hink/Barb Fatzinger/Karen Oldenkamp 154, Jennifer Renaud/Jennifer Hostutler/Carol O'Neil 155. Closest to pin: No. 5 - Darlene Wohlers-Piper. Odd Holes Three Best Balls, Even Holes Two Best Balls, June 1: Cathy Kosmicki, Nancy Moen, Carol Anderson and Carol O'Neil all at minus 22. Closest to pin: No. 5 0-21 HDCP - Jan Turner; 22+ HDCP - Gail Hanus.

Cleveland Heights Tuesday Men's, Draw and Quota Points, June 1: Dave Waller/Ron Berry/Clark DeGroat plus 6, Keith Wightman/Herb Koffler/Jim Robinson and Chuck Castor/Paul Pelchat/Chuck Smith tied at minus 1. Closest to pin: No. A2 - Ron Berry; No. A9 - Steve Criss; No. C8 - Dick Gebo. Best Over Quota: A - Keith Wightman plus 4; B - Keith Lohman plus 4; C - Dave Waller plus 4.

Eaglebrooke Men's Early Morning Group, Team vs Average Score, June 5: Al Hanif/Corey Evans/Mike Gilbert minus 6.3, Kyle Thomas/Dave Conway/Mike Cadenhead minus 4.1. Team vs Average Pont Quota, June 6: Dave Conway/Joe Whitfield/Mark Neville/Mike Gilbert/Howie Stoughton plus 31, Al Hanif/Paul Meyer/Ryan Kester/Tony Longa/Ryan Kee plus 21.

Hamptons Friday Men's Nine-Hole, Stableford, June 4: Bob Apple even on a match of cards over Eddie Morris, John Debonis minus 1.

Hamptons Memorial Day Golf Scramble, May 29: James King/Aaron Hammons/Jason Wilson/Lisa Wilson minus 10, Jeff Staber/Mark Torr/Jim Carter/Chuck Swafford minus 8 on a match of cards over Tom Vennard/Margaret Campbell/Terry Foster/Joe Debonis. Closest to pin: Diane Boland and Rich Regan.

Hamptons Men's, Net Stroke Play, June 1: Bill Colclaser 55, Bill Stalilonis 56, Terry Foster 57 on a match of cards over Jim Carter. Closest to pin: No. 5 - Joe Debonis; No. 11 - Tom Venard; No. 17 - Chuck Swafford.

Hamptons Wednesday Stableford, June 2: Front plus 3 - Ed Caplette/Ron Davis/Conrad Dionne/Joe Debonis; Back plus 7 - Larry Baker/Mike Ready/Rich Regan/Stan Cierach; Total plus 7 - Terry Foster/Jeff Snowball/Jim Carter/Bill Burton. Closest to pin: No. 5 and No. 11 - Joe Debonis; No. 7 - Bill Stalilonis; No. 17 - Ed Caplette.

Lake Ashton Ladies 18-Holers, Sixes, June 1: Jan Baun/Cheryl Coveleskie/Judy Mulhearn/Patty Wallner 123, Char Walter/Diane Holman/Kay Hwang/Carole Ferrieri 127, Liz Leigh/Mary Ann Stadfeld/Maija Baynes/Mary Donaldson 128.

Lake Ashton Ladies Niners, Individual Low Putts, June 1: Combo Flight - Fran Kramer and Cyndy Berry tied at 14, Wanda Mears and Paula Brown tied at 18; Green - Fran Salb 16, Missy Prescott 17, Jane Poole and Joyce Candler tied at 18.

Lake Ashton Men's, Individual Quota Points, June 2: First Gold Flight - Charlie Mutz plus 10, Rolly Geyer plus 6, Gary Pagel plus 1; Second - David Kubissa even, Dave Brown, Paul Fichtman, Steve Morgan and Don Connors all at minus 2; White First - Richard Sutherland even, Donn Yasz and Gerry Krogman tied at minus 1; Second - Don Feliks plus 3, Mike Krigelski plus 2, Leon Elsberry and Dave Akers both at even. Closest to pin: No. 7 - Gerry Krogman; No. 12 - Steve Morgan.

Lake Bess Friday Men's Scramble, Random Team Draw, June 4: Tom Houston/Ray Huggins/Ken Mouser/Scotty Reese minus 7. Closest to pin: No. 3 - Dan Petry; No. 7 - Ken Mouser.

Lake Bess Tuesday Men's Scramble, Random Team Draw, May 25: Hoppy Cassady/Paul Sherman/Dan Cozad minus 8. Closest to pin: No. 3 - Paul Sherman; No. 7 - Dan Petry. June 1: Tom Houston/John Henderson/Bob Shelton minus 7. Closest to pin: No. 3 - Bob Shelton; No. 7 - Henry Adams.

Lakeland Elks Lodge 1291 Monday League, Huntington Hills, June 7: A Flight - Dave Norwine plus 8, Dave Montgomery plus 5, Mike Marden plus 3 on a match of cards; B - Bob Haskins plus 6, Scott Smith plus 5 on a match of cards over Bob Fuschetti. Closest to pin: No. 4 - Mark Dillon; No. 14 - Jack Meister (50/50).

Lakeland Men's Senior, Diamond Hill, June 7: Flight A - Dean Fleming plus 4, Gary Terrell even, Joe Stevens plus 3; B - Dennis Johnston plus 6, Henry Bishop plus 4, Bob Capilla minus 3 on a match of cards over Pete Casella; C - Mike Wyatt plus 6, Bill McKenna plus 5, Rich Labiak minus 1. Closest to pin: No. 3 - Joe Stevens; No. 12 - Dennis Johnston. Low Gross: Gary Terrell 76.

Oakwood Men's, June 1: Charlie Pushard plus 8, Garland Reynolds plus 2, Sid Smith plus 1. Closest to pin: No. 3 - Charlie Pushard; No. 5 - Howard Kay; No. 7 - Pete Demerski; No. 11 - Gary McBroom; No. 16 - Kenny Clower. June 3: George Ivey plus 7, Garland Reynolds plus 6, Larry Bartoletti plus 4. Closest to pin: No. 3 - Lou Grasso; No. 5 - Rodney Allen; No. 12 - George Ivey; No. 15 - Pete Demerski. June 5: Richard Bradley plus 6 on a match of cards over Jack Trantham and Lou Grasso. Closest to pin: No. 3 - Garland Reynolds; No. 5 - Lou Grasso; No. 12 - Jason Dent; No. 15 - John Byrd.

Schalamar Creek Couples', Four-Person Scramble, 13 Holes, June 3: First Flight - Jim Brandeberry/Linda Bushong/David Kelter/Kathy Kelter 48, Ted Reid/Ginny Reid/Tom Fischer/J.R. Finkle 51.

Schalamar Creek Ladies', Blind Partners, Two-Person Teams, 9 Holes, June 1: First Flight - Carol Sutton/Celia Keser 75, Pam Bartley/Linda Romero 79.

Schalamar Creek Men's, Two-Man Best Ball, May 31: Gene Novak/Terry Phalen 59, David Gray/Al Horvath 65, John Covic/Pat McGee and John Russell/Jack Dorsey tied at 66.

BARTOW INDIVIDUAL POINTS, Wednesdays, nine holes, make up your own foursome, $17 ($12 green fee and cart), pays all plus scores, night specials in the lounge. Call 863-533-9183.

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS MENS, tee times available 7:30-8:30 a.m. Wednesday through Monday and Friday, groups or individuals welcome, quota points with skins optional, eight to 10 groups now play. Call Paul Boeh at 863-738-4129.

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS TUESDAY WOMENS, every Tuesday, tee times start at 8:30 a.m. Call Shirley Kalck at 863-853-9566.

HAMPTONS TUESDAY MEN'S LEAGUE, accepting new players. Call 844-882-8157 for more information.

HUNTINGTON HILLS TWO-ASIDE, Saturdays, 18-Hole Points Quota. Check in by 8:15 a.m. Contact Terri White at 863-5594082 or eagle-2par@aol.com.

HUNTINGTON HILLS WHY WORRY WEDNESDAYS, Nine-Hole Quota Points, 5:15 p.m. shotgun start. Contact Terri White at 863-559-4082 or eagle-2par@aol.com.

LAKELAND MENS SENIOR GOLF, 7:30 a.m. shotgun starts, Mondays, play against golfers within your handicap. Call Dave Brown at 419-656-5747.

LPGA AMATEUR GOLF ASSOCIATION is looking for women and men to play in weekly Wednesday league and every other Saturday at various courses in the Winter Haven/Lakeland/Orlando and other areas. For more information, email Kathy Mannahan at pjacobs21@tampabay.rr.com.

OAKWOOD MEN'S, 6:30 a.m. sign in. Points, skins and five closest to pins. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Charlie Walden at ctw55@yahoo.com.

POLO PARK MENS TUESDAY SCRAMBLE, 7:30 a.m. sign in. Random team draw. 18-Hole. For more information, call Polo Park Pro Shop at 863-424-3341.

POLO PARK MENS SATURDAY SCRAMBLE, 7:30 a.m. sign in. Random team draw. 18-Hole. For more information, call Polo Park Pro Shop at 863-424-3341.

WEDGEWOOD THREE-MAN SCRAMBLE, nine holes; Tuesdays at 5 p.m.; call Marcus at 863-858-4451 by 2:30 p.m. to play.

WEDGEWOOD TWO-ASIDE GAME, 9 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays; 18-hole points game with skins and blind draw; call Marcus at 863-858-4451.

WEDGEWOOD MIXED CO-ED SCRAMBLE, 2 p.m. Thursdays. Call Marcus at 863-858-4451 by 1 p.m. to play.

E-mail results of local golf tournaments, aces and upcoming tournaments to mquinn@theledger.com; or mail to Golf News, Ledger Sports Department, P.O. Box 408, Lakeland, Fla., 33802. Include complete scores and league names. Deadline is Monday at 5 p.m.

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Scorer's Tent: Golf league results and upcoming events in Polk County - The Ledger

This Week in Concerts – The Revivalists, Ron Ivory, Other Brothers and More – 303 Magazine

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This week in concerts, catch 90s Night at Number Thirty Eight or The Revivalists at Red Rocks Amphitheater. Feeling more proactive about supporting smaller shows? Find your new favorite band at Goosetown Tavern or Globe Hall. If none of this sounds interesting, head to Larimer Lounge for their artist block party featuring Trayce Chapman, Retrofette and more. As always, make sure to stay up to date on all of Denvers local shows with 303 Magazine.

Photo by Kacie Loura.

6/8 Electronic Tuesdays: Coffey, Crypticflow, Sweetprince and more

6/9 Work in Progress Wednesdays: Open sign-up

6/9 Woman Crush Wednesday: Solfire, Magnetik Moon, Spirah and more

6/10 Ghost Creek, Dillard, Parkbreezy and more

6/10 Bass Boss Records: Sky Suite, Spirit Galore, Dosidoe and more

6/11 Yellowbrick Road to Dancefestopia

6/11 Tripzy Leary, Sh1elds, DirrtyStarr

6/12 Sacred Hive Takeover: Vibe Emissions, Chief Kaya, King Shotta

6/12 Recon DnB Takeover: Quentin Hiatus, Ghast, Cynapze

6/13 Brunch Box: all:Lo Collective

6/10 Deadphish Orchestra

6/12 Other Brothers (6 p.m.)

6/12 Other Brothers (9 p.m.)

Denver Jazz Youth Club All Stars. Photo courtesy of Denver Jazz Youth Club All Stars.

6/8 Bailey Hinkley Grogan Quartet

6/9 Tenia Nelson Trio

6/9 Bread & Jam Session: VIPs

6/10 Squintin Tarantino

6/11 Ron Ivory

6/11 The Custom Shop Band

6/12 Denver Jazz Club Youth All-Stars (1 p.m.)

6/12 Matt Skellenger Group (in-person)

6/12 Matt Skellenger Group (live stream)

6/7 Evenings Al Fresco

6/8 Evenings Al Fresco

6/12 Fresh Fruit!, Moon.Roof, Babybaby

6/13 Satellite Pilot, Split Window, Kids Table and more

6/11 Cherry Street, Bellisi

6/12 Radio High

6/6 Clayton Mann

6/7 Clayton Mann

6/8 Clayton Mann

6/9 Clayton Mann

6/7 Vlad Girshevich

6/9 Hump Day Funk Jam

6/11 Liv Sings

6/12 Funkiphino

6/8 Profetic Calaveras, 13 Fridays, Mike Heuer

6/9 Manzy Lowry Bandy, Cista Vinum, Willa & Co

6/10 Ntguilty, Ceej, Flawless Money and more

6/11 Rowdy Shadehouse, DJ Buddy Bravo, The Bannetones

Paul DeHaven. Photo courtesy of Paul DeHaven Facebook.

6/11 128 Family Reunion

6/12 Off The Record Block Party with Trayce Chapman (2 p.m.)

6/12 Off The Record Block Party with Retrofette (4 p.m.)

6/12 Off The Record Block Party with LVDY (6 p.m.)

6/12 Off The Record Block Party with The Reminders (8 p.m.)

6/12 Off The Record Block Party with special guest (10 p.m.)

6/12 Off The Record Block Party with Fred Fancy and Funk Hunk (12 a.m)

6/13 Paul Dehaven, Austin Carroll & The Better Neighbors

6/11 Paul Babe, Ellsworth

6/12 Patrick Dethlefs

6/9 13 Fridays, Mellowpounk, King Crawdad and more

6/10 Seth Doud, Dane Olsen

6/11 Amazing Adventures, Corsicana, Specific Ocean

6/12 Redivider, Dogwalker, Keep Off The Grass

6/13 Mike Ring, Pie Lombardi, Ian Mahan

Lucas Wolf. Photo courtesy of Lucas Wolf Facebook.

6/10 Concerts For a Cause: Lucas Wolf, Micki Balder

6/9 Walter Gorra Elevation Trio

6/10 The Samuel Williams Quartet

6/11 The Daryl Gott Paul McKee Quintet

6/12 Peter Sommer Quartet

6/13 The Bill Kopper Quintet

Cara Elizabeth. Photo courtesy of Cara Elizabeth Facebook.

6/10 90s Night

6/11 Chris Koza

6/12 Cara Elizabeth, Brianna Straut

6/13 Cara Elizabeth & The Barlow

6/10 A-Mac & The Height

6/11 Self Service, The Pitch, The Vanilla Milkshakes

6/12 Project Foreigner

6/8 Bob Weir and Wolf Bros

6/9 Bob Weir and Wolf Bros

6/10 The Revivalists

6/11 The Revivalists

6/12 Big Head Todd and The Monsters, Hazel Miller

6/13 Big Head Todd and The Monsters, Hazel Miller

Hunter James. Photo courtesy of Hunter James and The Titanic.

6/8 Meg Rice

6/9 David Lawrence

6/10 Hunter James & The Titanic

6/11 Unusual Too

6/11 Taylor Tuke & Friends

6/12 DJ Couchman

6/12 Luke Lively

6/12 Digg

6/13 Tyler Snow

6/11 The Strange Parade

6/12 17th Avenue All Stars

6/13 Dyonn James

6/10 Dakota Blonde

Marcus Nand. Photo courtesy of Marcus Nand Facebook.

6/9 Open Stage

6/10 Lil Flip, Lil Cas

6/11 Mike Tramp, Marcus Nand

6/12 Mr. Scary, Rattlehead, The Pot

6/7 Metal Mondays: The Udder, The Sleep Demons, Zingaro

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This Week in Concerts - The Revivalists, Ron Ivory, Other Brothers and More - 303 Magazine

Robotics Award 2021 Goes to ABBs PixelPaint Car Painting – Business Wire

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FRANKFURT, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 2021 Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics & Automation (IERA) goes to PixelPaint technology of ABB. Two high-precision robots make car painting faster, more sustainable and flexible helping manufacturers to efficiently respond to individual demands. Two-tone and customized designs are applied in one pass. The technology eliminates overspray benefitting the environment.

The jury is pleased to honor ABBs PixelPaint technology, with the 17th IERA Award, says Jury Chair Rob Ambrose. The innovative solution for automated car painting combines more flexibility and customization with reduced wasted paint for the well-being of the environment.

No more paint is lost

In the past, 20 to 30 percent of paint was wasted due to overspray. By contrast, the inkjet head of PixelPaint applies 100 percent of the paint to the vehicle surface improving environmental impact. The technology also significantly increases efficiency in car painting. Previously, applying a two-tone or customized design was a time and labour-intensive process. The vehicle had to be put through the painting line twice. With the new technology, customized painting speeds increased by 50 percent. PixelPaint also eliminates the process of masking and de-masking each car, helping to reduce bottlenecks.

In todays fiercely competitive automotive manufacturing market, vehicle producers need solutions that can help them to improve their flexibility, efficiency and cost competitiveness while delivering a high-quality paint finish, including individualized options to meet the growing demand for non-standard and customized designs, said Jrg Reger, Managing Director of ABB Robotics Auto OEM Business Line.

IFR congratulates

I congratulate ABB on winning the IERA award 2021 against strong competition, said Milton Guerry, President of the IFR. The four finalists have all presented a success story of an innovative product in robotics and automation which combine the needs of todays manufacturers with a high degree of user-friendliness.

Finalists

Barcelona-based INFAIMON presented its InPicker a universal pick and place system for industrial applications. Berlin-based Micropsi Industries took part with its MIRAI software an AI-driven control system that enables industrial robots to deal with variance in production. Mobile Industrial Robots from Odense in Denmark presented the MiR250, a user-friendly mobile robot that optimizes material handling workflows across industries.

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Robotics Award 2021 Goes to ABBs PixelPaint Car Painting - Business Wire

FedEx to Blaze the Trail of Mobile Robotics Interoperability – Logistics Viewpoints – Logistics Viewpoints

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MassRobotics announced (May 18th) the release of what it claimed to be the Worlds First Open Source Autonomous Mobile Robot Interoperability Standards. The MassRobotics AMR Interoperability Standard is designed to assist organizations in the deployment of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) from multiple vendors and have them work together in the same environment, better realizing the promise of warehouse and factory automation. And my impression from discussions with users, and from the discussions at a 2021 Mass Robotics event, is that heterogeneous operating requirements are a reality, therefore making interoperability a top priority.

The first use-case of the MassRobotics standards will be a trial this fall at a FedEx facility. I had the opportunity to speak with Aaron Prather, Senior Technical Advisor at FedEx about this trial. I was curious about the role and extent of robotics in FedExs operations. Aaron informed me that bots, in some form or function, have been rolled out across the vast majority of FedEx business units. I was surprised that the robotics presence at FedEx was so widespread. And with current labor market constraints, there is likely to be opportunity for increased use of AMRs at FedEx in the future. This is where Aarons team comes into the picture. It is a centralized unit within FedEx that is responsible for testing technologies and determining the use cases and determining the technologys applicability to the wide range of operational needs across the company. The forthcoming interoperability test run by his unit will tap into the MassRobotics Standard and will be a partnership between FedEx, Waypoint Robotics, Vecna Robotics, Siemens, Yaskawa, and the University of Memphis.

FedEx has deployed bots from numerous providers across facilities. They have learned that certain robots or models are especially well-suited for certain tasks, while other bots are more well-suited for other tasks. Limiting a given type of bot to a section of a facility is a constraint on the value that FedEx can derive from adoption of the bot or bots. Therefore, FedEx wishes to enable robot interoperability and collaboration. Although on-board sensors generally provide adequate safety, robot decision-making can be suboptimal when confronted with an unfamiliar obstacle, especially if it is mobile like an unfamiliar AMR. Interoperability can deliver value simply by removing performance degradation that occurs during such unfamiliar situations. The scope of the MassRobotics Standard provides a framework for bot location, speed, direction, availability, capability, and status with the goal of improving interoperability in mixed environments.

The trial will include bots from at least 3, and as many as 5, distinct providers. Siemens will provide the communications layer that will leverage the MassRobotics Standard. One type of bot will work on its own use case, for example, pallet movements, while two or more other types of bots will work on use cases interchangeable between them. The bots will communicate location, direction of movement, capacity, and battery load. The Siemens communications system will indicate load size and direct the movement/task to an appropriate bot. Subsequently, the given bot will determine its own path to pick-up the load.

Ideally, this ARM interoperability trial will show that the heterogenous bots will maintain safety, complete their tasks without performance degradation, and validate the capabilities of the communications structure and the MassRobotics Standard. These improvements are hoped to blaze the trail for mixed bot implementations, accelerated deployments, and a wider range of use cases and performance improvements at FedEx.

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FedEx to Blaze the Trail of Mobile Robotics Interoperability - Logistics Viewpoints - Logistics Viewpoints

Northeast robotics team returning to national competition | News | norfolkdailynews.com – Norfolk Daily News

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The Northeast Community College robotics team is returning to the national playing field after a one-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two-member team of Garrett Henery and Emmanuel Soto, both from Norfolk, qualified for the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skill Championships later this month after they won gold at the Nebraska state collegiate competition this spring.

State championship competitions were held both virtually via Zoom and in person on Northeasts campus in Norfolk.

Norfolk High School students John Mann and Tyna Schmidt, who together form Team E, qualified for the national event in the same category by also collecting the gold medal at the state event.

This years competition focused on explosive ordinance disposal, which meant students created a mobile robot similar to those used by emergency service personnel, including fire, law enforcement and military, according to Richard Chrisman, Northeast information technology instructor and robotics team coach. The robot is designed to secure an area by locating, neutralizing, moving and disposing of explosive materials.

According to SkillsUSA contest guidelines, the demand for designers, skilled technicians and manufacturing employees who are fluent in mechanical design and electrical systems and highly skilled in troubleshooting and maintenance of robotic systems is projected to continue to grow.

Robotics is not the only category in which Northeast is sporting a team at the national SkillsUSA event. Northeast took the top three positions in the state collegiate internetworking competition. John Crockett was named 2021 Nebraska State SkillsUSA champion, while Jon Koehler placed second and Edgar Chavez was third.

Other gold medal winners from Northeast included Luke Hobbs for computer programming; Braxton Bargmann for technical drafting; and Lance Vie, Luke Vie, Jordan Kempf and Leonard Schaecher for broadcast news production.

The national SkillsUSA competition is typically held in Louisville, Kentucky, featuring more than 6,000 students competing in over 100 different trade, technical and leadership fields. While this years event will still be staged, it is being held virtually, with localized hands-on elements for select competitions.

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Northeast robotics team returning to national competition | News | norfolkdailynews.com - Norfolk Daily News

Only one public middle school qualified for the state robotics meet: an all-girls team from Plano – WFAA.com

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Ravenclaw Robotics is the only public middle school team in Texas to qualify for state.

PLANO, Texas When Rice Middle School in Plano decided to start a girls-only robotics team last year, coach Anya McCarthy believed they had the skills to compete with anybody.

What her team didnt have was confidence.

At first, I was pretty skeptical about it, said eighth grader Aahana Shrivastava.

High school teams and private school teams have much more funding and experience than us, added seventh-grader Louisa Xu. We didnt have much confidence that we could beat them.

We didnt really have this goal of, oh were going to go to state,' because we didnt really believe that, sixth-grader Aarini Sen echoed.

In fact, no public middle school from North Texas had ever qualified for the state meet, and these girls didnt know the first thing about building a robot.

Still, the Ravenclaw Robotics teamwhich is what they call themselvesworked tirelessly, oftentimes staying at school until nearly midnight.

Ive never had a team that was that determined, McCarthy said. The more we went through it, it just fueled us.

Even though other teams had more experience and some even had 10 times as much money, the girls were undeterred.

They entered their first competition - and won. Then won again. In fact, they won four times before competing virtually in the regional meet a few weeks ago.

The top team at regional qualifies for state.

Only about half of the scoring is determined by the performance of the robot. The other half comes from outreach: the more teams give back to their communities, the better the score.

While Ravenclaw built a robot good enough to compete with the rest, they outdistanced the competition when it came to service.

They helped get their school a wheelchair, mentored younger girls about STEM-related subjects and raised money to help fund their program.

Still, winning at the regional meet was a longshot. But they pulled it off. Ravenclaw Robotics is the only public middle school team in Texas to qualify for state.

There was so many happy tears and screaming, said McCarthy, who actually cried when her team was announced as the winner.

We actually really got to state, Shrivastava said. I was like, no way!

The state meet kicks off June 11, and whether or not these girls have a robot capable of winning, they said doesnt matter.

By making it this far, they have already proven something to themselves.

Girls can accomplish just as much as boys, Sen said.

We are capable of many things, Shrivastava added. We are strong, hardworking and we dont let people take us down.

Regardless of the outcome at state, coach McCarthy said shes already beaming.

Im so proud, she said.

Still, theyre going to do everything they can to win.

Thats our plan, McCarthy said with a laugh.

Sounds like theyve engineered plenty of confidence.

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Only one public middle school qualified for the state robotics meet: an all-girls team from Plano - WFAA.com

Hemlock Public Schools opens new STEM and robotics center – MLive.com

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SAGINAW COUNTY, MI - Hemlock Public School District officially celebrated the opening of its Lockwood STEM Center, a new facility that will play home to First Robotics teams from Saginaw Countys rural school districts.

The facility includes a regulation-sized area for robotics competitions, a machining lab, storage space and more opportunities available to students from the Merill, Swan Valley, St. Charles, Freeland and Hemlock school districts.

Hemlock broke ground on the 60-by 80-foot facility in May 2020 and finished most of the construction in late September. Hemlock Semiconductor Operations donated $100,000 to fund the space and also matched an additional $25,000 to encourage contributions by other local businesses and stakeholders.

Members of Hemlocks Gray Matter robotics team performed a drone flyover to cap off the national anthem, beginning a ribbon-cutting ceremony that officially opened the facility.

This STEM center is our baby, said Hemlock Public School District Superintendent Don Killingbeck. This is paramount for helping the next generation be ready for the opportunities as they come to them.

In addition to Killingbeck and Tom Lockwood, the districts technology director and namesake of the facility, State Rep. Rodney Wakeman, R-Saginaw Township, and Hemlock Semiconductor Vice President of Manufacturing Andy Ault made remarks at the ribbon-cutting. Attendees were then invited inside to view the new space.

At HSC, we recognize that these students are critical to our future workforce, Ault said. Our students deserve access to learning materials and programs that will secure a bright future for them.

When Hemlock High School senior Matthew Schaffner got into robotics in middle school, he started in a tiny room above the school library. Now, piloting a large bot on the competition field in the new facility, he said having the Lockwood Center is a blessing. He plans to attend Michigan State University in the fall and study mechanical engineering.

Its just a wonderful place to be part of a community, Schaffner said. I never knew that school could be so fun and still give you so much opportunity.

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Hemlock Public Schools opens new STEM and robotics center - MLive.com

Husqvarna Grows Investment In Robin Autopilot To Expand Professional Robotics-as-a-Service Throughout North America – PRNewswire

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CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Husqvarna, the world leader in professional robotic mowers, announced today that it is increasing its investment and ownership in Robin Autopilot USA, a leader in the technological integration of robotic lawn care with professional landscapers.

This growing strategic partnership enables Husqvarna to increase market penetration of Automower robotic mowers by leveraging Robin Autopilot's Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) platform for the professional landscaper. This combination will offer residential clients a solution with the measurable environmental benefits of battery-operated lawn mowing and decreased noise pollution.

"Expanding Husqvarna's partnership with Robin Autopilot aligns with our strategic growth objectives and connects Husqvarna's global leadership in professional robotic lawn care and technology with the innovative software solution that Robin Autopilot provides," said Steve Collins, Vice President, Strategy and Business Development at Husqvarna. "We greatly value Robin Autopilot's track record of growth throughout North America, and we look forward to continuing our successful collaboration to increase robotic mowing use among lawn care customers and green space professionals."

"We are thrilled to partner with Husqvarna, the world leader in robotic mowing, as we continue to strengthen Robin's leading position in Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) for the lawn care industry in the United States and Canada," said Logan Fahey, Chief Executive Officer of Robin Autopilot Holdings, LLC. "This partnership will allow us to work jointly to offer RaaS to a growing number of landscapers and lawn care providers who want to make their businesses more sustainable and profitable with transformative robotic technology."

The Robin platform integrates with leading CRM and ERP systems used by landscapers and seamlessly adds RaaS capabilities like equipment selection, fleet management, job management, data analytics and on-demand training. These capabilities enable landscapers to easily maintain large fleets of robots remotely and quickly expand their RaaS offerings.

Husqvarna will continue to bring new, innovative products to market, and Robin Autopilot will ensure integration and effective fleet management for professional landscapers.

About Husqvarna GroupHusqvarna Group is a global leading producer of outdoor power products and innovative solutions for forest, park, and garden care. Products include chainsaws, trimmers, robotic lawn mowers and ride-on lawn mowers. The Group is also the European leader in garden watering products and a global leader in cutting equipment and diamond tools for the construction and stone industries. The Group's products and solutions are sold under brands including Husqvarna, Gardena, McCulloch, Flymo, Zenoah and Diamant Boart via dealers and retailers to consumers and professionals in more than 100 countries. Net sales in 2020 amounted to SEK 42bn and the Group has around 12,400 employees in 40 countries.

About Robin AutopilotRobin Autopilot's mission is to help lawn care professionals and service provider alike transition from traditional to robotic mowing. Robin enables professionals to improve the health and appearance of commercial and residential lawns using reliable, environmentally-friendly, cost-efficient autonomous mowers. The Robin platform offers its subscribers everything they need to effectively run a RaaS (Robotics-as-a-Service) business, including proprietary software, training (Robin Academy), mower financing, marketing (Robin Rewards) and hardware accessories including Robin's robotic door. Robin's subscriber base has increased by 50% in the last 6 months.

SOURCE Husqvarna

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Husqvarna Grows Investment In Robin Autopilot To Expand Professional Robotics-as-a-Service Throughout North America - PRNewswire

Craig Malloy to Join Vecna Robotics as Chief Executive Officer – Business Wire

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WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vecna Robotics, the autonomous mobile robot (AMR) and workflow orchestration company, today announced the appointment of Craig Malloy to Chief Executive Officer. In his role, Malloy will focus on the organizational and operational needs to scale and meet the growing demand for the companys world-class robotic platforms and orchestration software. Founder Daniel Theobald will resume his role as Chief Innovation Officer to further advance Vecna Robotics market-leading technology. Theobald will also continue to serve as the Executive Chairman of the Board.

Malloy brings 25 years of experience in founding, scaling and leading global technology companies in venture capital, publicly traded and private equity environments, including Lifesize, Bloomfire and ViaVideo. Before entering the corporate world, he served as a Lieutenant, Surface Warfare Officer and Nuclear Weapons Officer in the United States Navy. Malloy holds a bachelors degree from the United States Naval Academy and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management.

In addition to delivering world-class products that make customers lives easier, Vecna Robotics has always put a premium on employing good people who are committed to making the world a better place. I couldnt think of anyone more suited to continue to execute this vision and lead this talented team than Craig, said Theobald. Craig has an impressive track record in scaling businesses across the globe, and his leadership will be integral to Vecna Robotics next stage of growth.

Daniel is unequivocally one of the worlds foremost roboticists and automation experts. At his request, we ran a thoughtful process to find a similarly exceptional CEO to lead Vecna Robotics through the next phases of growth, said Trevor Zimmerman, co-founder and managing partner of Blackhorn Ventures, lead investor for Vecna Robotics Series B fundraising round. Were delighted to have found that leader. Craig and Daniel are already proving to be a formidable combination, driving value for our customers and shareholders.

The chief executive appointment comes after a momentous year for the company. In March, Vecna Robotics was named to Fast Companys prestigious list of the Worlds Most Innovative Companies for 2021, ranking fourth in the logistics category. Additionally, the company recently partnered with other robotics organizations to publish the worlds first autonomous mobile robot interoperability standards, which enable robots from different vendors to speak the same language and work together cooperatively. The companys success has continued into 2021, having more than doubled its customer base in the last six months.

Its an incredibly exciting time to serve the robotics and automation market. Now, more than ever, materials handling companies require solutions that deliver greater flexibility and resilience to survive and compete in a rapidly changing global market, said Malloy. I have been building technology companies for a long time, and I couldnt be more impressed with the technology, talent, customer portfolio, and culture of innovation that Daniel and his team have built. I am thrilled to step into this role on such a solid foundation as we continue to scale Vecna Robotics to new heights.

To learn more about Vecna Robotics, visit https://www.vecnarobotics.com/.

About Vecna Robotics

Vecna Robotics is the autonomous mobile robot (AMR) and workflow orchestration company that helps distribution, warehousing, and manufacturing organizations streamline their materials handling and logistics operations. Pivotal, the companys proprietary orchestration engine, integrates with existing warehouse management systems for a coordinated approach that maximizes throughput, operational efficiency, and human and robot collaboration. Vecna Robotics robots are backed with 24/7 US-based live support and proactive monitoring for an industry-leading 99%+ uptime. For more information, visit http://www.vecnarobotics.com. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Craig Malloy to Join Vecna Robotics as Chief Executive Officer - Business Wire

Oakland University ‘s IGVC fuels the inspiration behind autonomous robotics teams – The Oakland Press

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Its competitions like the Intelligent Ground Vehicle competitionat Oakland University that drive college and university autonomous robotics teams to excel.

We have seven different competitions, said Andrew Strazds, a senior from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona, Florida, during Mondays finals taking place in a parking lot at the south end of the campus.

This is the only one that wasnt cancelled because of COVID-19. he added, after doing a demonstration with the robot he and his team had built.

Dark clouds had moved in and the rain sent most of the other teams scrambling for cover. Being from Florida, where rain is common, Strazds team went the extra mile to ensure that their robot could withstand the wind and rain.

In fact, they named their robot, RAIN, which is also the acronym for Robot for Advanced Intelligent Navigation.

This addition alone earned them points in the competition.

They are one of the few schools that did a good job of weatherproofing, said Bernie Theisen, who was among the judges at the annual event that challenges engineering students to design autonomous vehicles and compete in a variety of unmanned mobility competitions including Auto-Nav, in which vehicles complete an outdoor course in full autonomous mode while negotiating obstacles.

It demonstrates what weve learned, said Strazds. Its really nice to see everything working, or not.

Im tweaking ours for a better performance, said Lloyd Brombach, a computer science student at Wayne State University who was joined by his teams mentor, Abhilash Pandya. Vernoica, as the robot was named needed to go faster, so Brombach had to make adjustments to the computer program.

Jerry Lane who was instrumental in creating the event for students said the teams work all year on the vehicles before attending the competitions.

They design it. They develop it, build it, test it, fix it, and then compete, he said.

Since its start more than 15-years-ago, IGVC has been highly praised by participating faculty advisors as an excellent multidisciplinary design experience for student teams. Not only do they get to see their vehicles in action, but also get the opportunity to meet other students with similar interests. Some schools also extend senior design course credits for student participation.

Among the guests in attendance for the competition was Michael Cadieux, director of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Ground Vehicle Systems Center (formerly U.S. Army TARDEC) at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren. Cadieux brought his children out to see robotics in action.

Robotics is a lot cooler when you see it in person, said Cadieuxs 12-year-old son.

To view the list of winners or find out more about the competition visit igvc.org/teams.htm

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Oakland University 's IGVC fuels the inspiration behind autonomous robotics teams - The Oakland Press

Eanes ISD to tackle summer bond projects, wrap up work on robotic and wrestling spaces – Community Impact Newspaper

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Eanes ISD is scheduled to complete its new aquatics facility by the end of December. (Rendering courtesy Eanes ISD)

The summer break traditionally serves as a time for Eanes ISD to tackle campus projects and renovations, and this year is no exception, according to EISD Chief Operations Officer Jeremy Trimble.

We have a lot going on this summer, Trimble told trustees during a June 8 board meeting.

Among the scheduled projects are several safety upgrades, primarily at Hill Country Middle School and West Ridge Middle School, which will see fire alarm replacements and upgrades to the public address system. Other safety projects include work on an emergency notification system and the installation of perimeter fencing at multiple campuses.

All summer projects are funded through the districts $80 million 2019 bond program, for which $8 million was dedicated to safety and security projects.

EISD will also continue work on a $5 million districtwide initiative to retrofit buildings with motion-sensor LED lights. Trimble said these upgrades will present cost savings through a rebate provided by EISDs utility provider.

Technology upgrades are a large district initiative this summer, according to Trimble. Classroom Smart Boards, which are interactive whiteboards, will be replaced by mounted flat-panel computers.

Among the most highly anticipated projects are the district's three instructional and extracurricular facility projects.

Students will soon have access to a new $10.3 million aquatic center, a $2.3 million wrestling facility and a newly renovated $2.91 million robotics center.

Trimble said construction crews are making great progress on the robotics center, which should be completed by the end of July. While work on the wrestling project was slightly offset by the heavy rainfall experienced in March, Trimble said EISD has a goal to finish that space by the first day of the 2021-22 school year. Barring any changes, the aquatics facility will become available for students by the end of December.

Trimble also spoke to significant increases in construction costs both nationally and in the Austin area. Luckily, he said EISDs current projects will not be impacted by this trend.

The construction industry, both residential and nonresidential, has been really impacted by the pandemic but also the freeze that Texas had completely shut down the plants, Trimble said, citing information from the Associated General Contractors of America.

The district first broke ground on its extracurricular projects in September, and Trimble said construction crews have already obtained the necessary materials such as steel, which has seen a 63% increase in cost since March 2020.

Superintendent Tom Leonard said EISD noticed these cost increases in Austin prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore pushed to begin their bond projects as soon as possible.

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Eanes ISD to tackle summer bond projects, wrap up work on robotic and wrestling spaces - Community Impact Newspaper

Neurosurgery Surgical Robots Market: Rapid Increase in the Number of Robotic Surgery to Drive the Market – BioSpace

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Neurosurgery is the procedure of diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders, such as, Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, strokes, aneurysms, degenerative diseases, and trauma to the spinal cord and brain.

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Neurosurgery surgical robots help surgeons in performing complex surgeries with more flexibility and precision. Robotic surgeries offer many advantages, such as, fewer complications in terms of pain and blood loss, lower risk of surgical site infection, quick recovery, and smaller scars. Neurosurgery surgical robots are mostly preferred in minimally invasive surgeries for better precision.

Mechanical arms and camera arms are the widely used robotic surgical systems. Compared to other types of minimally invasive surgeries, robotic surgery provides better view and more precision to the surgeons. The surgeon controls the system through a computer console placed in the operating room. The console has a camera that provides detailed 3D images of the operating site.

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The global neurosurgery surgical robots market is primarily driven by increase in incidence of neurological disorders, growth in geriatric population, and rise in the number of neurosurgery performed. Also, rapid increase in the number of robotic surgery, rise in minimally invasive surgeries, and increase in the purchasing power of hospitals are expected to boost the growth of the global neurosurgery surgical robots market during the analysis period.

Furthermore, rise in adoption of technologically advanced health care devices and advancement in health care are projected to boost the growth of the global neurosurgery surgical robots market in the next few years. Aging is associated with a large number of diseases and disorders. Majority of elderly people suffer from neurological disorders.

According to the Administration for Community Living, geriatric population (of 65 years or older) in the U.S. stood at 46.2 million in 2014. Therefore, increase in aging population is likely to drive the global neurosurgery surgical robots market during the forecast period. Furthermore, existing market players are deploying advanced techniques and strategies to develop novel processes for manufacturing of technologically enhanced neurosurgery surgical robots. This is anticipated to propel the demand for neurosurgery surgical robots for diagnosis of diseases during the forecast period. However, high cost of neurosurgery surgical robots and lack of skilled professions are expected to restrain the growth of the neurosurgery surgical robots market in the next few years.

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The global neurosurgery surgical robots market can be segmented based on component, end-user, and region. Based on component, the neurosurgery surgical robots market can be bifurcated into systems, accessories, and services. In terms of end-user, the market can be divided into hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers.

In terms of region, the global neurosurgery surgical robots market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America accounted for the leading share of the global market in 2017 owing to rapid progress in the health care industry as well as high adoption of advanced health care devices in the region.

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Increase in prevalence of neurological disorders and presence of a large number of manufacturers in the region are expected to boost the neurosurgery surgical robots market in North America during the forecast period. Asia Pacific and Latin America are likely to be highly lucrative markets for neurosurgery surgical robots in the near future. The neurosurgery surgical robots market in these regions is projected to grow rapidly during the forecast period, owing to large population base, increase in the number of hospitals, and rise in government investment for the advancement of health care in the regions.

Key players operating in the global neurosurgery surgical robots market include Auris Surgical Robotics, Inc, Smith & Nephew Plc., Stryker Corporation, Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Renishaw plc, KUKA AG, Mazor Robotics, Medtronic plc, THINK Surgical Inc., and Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc.

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Neurosurgery Surgical Robots Market: Rapid Increase in the Number of Robotic Surgery to Drive the Market - BioSpace

FIRST Wisconsin: New nonprofit will focus on science, technology and building robots – Wisbusiness.com

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MILWAUKEE Inspiring young Wisconsinites to learn about and possibly pursue careers in science and technology, including robotics, is the goal of a new nonprofit formed by a diverse group of leaders from industry and academia.

WisconsinFIRSTRobotics, Inc. will organize after school sessions and competitions for students 4-18 throughout Wisconsin. WisconsinFIRSTRobotics, Inc. is affiliated withFIRST(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a global nonprofit organization created to inspire young people to be the science and technology leaders of the future.

WisconsinFIRSTRobotics, Inc. will offer mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills.

The goal is to inspire innovation, and foster well-rounded capacities in young people, including self-confidence, communication and leadership, said Jeff Fenstermaker, chairman of WisconsinFIRSTRobotics, Inc. FIRSThas astrongrecordon STEM learning and skill-building and we are excited to bring those opportunities to Wisconsin.

Fenstermaker said thatFIRSThas a global support system of mentors, coaches, volunteers, alumni and sponsors that include over 200 Fortune 500 companies. He said young people will work in teams to conduct research, fundraise, design and build robots and then compete and celebrate at local, regional and international events.

The sequence ofFIRSTprograms begins with FIRST LEGO League and includes Discover (ages 4-6), Explore (ages 6-10) and Challenge (ages 9-14), followed by the FIRST Tech Challenge serving grades 7-12, and FIRST Robotics Competition, serving high school-aged youth (grades 9- 12).FIRSTestimates in 2019-2020, the programs reached over 679,000 young people worldwide.

The goal of WisconsinFIRSTRobotics, Inc. is to grow the presence ofFIRSTso that every student in the stateis provided an opportunity to participate in aFIRSTprogram through their schools, clubs, or youth organizations.

Populations underrepresented in STEM fields are a particular area of focus.

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FIRST Wisconsin: New nonprofit will focus on science, technology and building robots - Wisbusiness.com

McDonald’s automated drive-thru is just the latest sign of robots taking over fast-food – Yahoo Finance

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Fast-food's biggest players are letting the robots right in through the front door as they seek out ways to overcome rising wages and worker shortages.

McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski disclosed at a recent Wall Street conference the company is testing automated voice ordering for its drive-thru. The tests are being conducted at about 10 locations in McDonald's backyard of Chicago, IL.

"We have over the last several years spent a lot of money that shows up in the G&A line, looking at better ways to automate the kitchen," Kempczinski said. "And this is could we do automated fryers, could you do automated grills. I mean let's push the envelope on how you can go with automation."

The Golden Arches isn't alone in welcoming the robots.

Here are four other big fast-food chains that are testing creative, tech-driven ways to get you that burger, taco, pizza or chicken sandwich even quicker.

The pizza giant said in April it struck a deal with self-driving delivery company Nuro. The deal saw the launch of autonomous pizza delivery (via the machine pictured above) in Houston. Select customers in the city who place an order on Domino's website can choose to have their pizza delivery by Nuro's R2 robot.

Domino's has been promoting its Nuro test aggressively in its latest round of TV advertising.

The robot is the first autonomous on-road delivery vehicle with a regulatory approval by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Domino's points out.

Looks like a quick easy way to get a pizza without having to interact with a delivery driver. Or maybe soon a burrito, too. Also in April, Chipotle disclosed it invested in Nuro.

Taco Bell opened a tech-forward new location in New York City's Times Square in late April. And this Taco Bell is built mostly for one thing only: Get your food super quickly and get back out into the party scene.

Take note of all the touch screens for food and drinks in the image above. There will likely be minimal interaction with an employee (as they are in the back making the food, not taking orders).

Story continues

The chicken sandwich maker is dabbling in autonomous delivery as well alongside Domino's and Chipotle.

Chick-fil-A is testing robot delivery in California via a new tie-up with robotics outfit Kiwibot, Restaurant Business reports. Three Chick-fil-A locations around Santa Monica are making available delivery with Kiwibot's four-wheeled semi-autonomous rovers (like those seen above).

An executive at Kiwibot told Restaurant Business a delivery would take 30 minutes and cost $1.99.

White Castle was among the first in the fast-food industry to begin testing robots in any interesting capacity, launching a robotic fry cook test at one location in July 2020 (see below) with Miso Robotics. The robot's name: Flippy.

In October 2020, White Castle expanded its partnership with Miso Robotics to 10 locations, Yahoo Finance sister publication TechCrunch reported.

Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn.

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Mumbai innovator develops 3 robots to assist healthcare workers, patients amid COVID – The Tribune India

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Mumbai, June 10

A Mumbai-based innovator Santosh Hulawale has developed three robots to assist healthcare workers and patients amid the ongoing pandemic.

Santosh, with the help of his eight-member team, has developed a Multiple Service Robot (MSR), a Service Humanoid Robot (SHR), and a Disaster Management robot (DMR).

According to the innovator, the robots have been developed completely in India.

Santosh claimed that the MSR can be custom pre-programmed for any kind of health facility.

If we want the robot to deliver a particular type of food or medicine to particular patients, we can feed the same in its program. In fact, the robot does not need human intervention, he said.

Regarding the SHR, he said, Basically, it is a humanoid robot, which can be used to give a more human-like experience to the patients. Apart from delivering food, water and medicines it can interact with patients not only vocally but also physically. The robot can dance, shake hands, give a high-five, wave goodbye and can help in entertaining the people in quarantine.

The DMR can carry a weight of up to 200 kgs.

It can also carry patients from ambulances to the hospitals or quarantine centres and back, and those with physical disabilities to the restroom and back, Santosh said.

Santosh has been working in the field of robotics for the last 20 years. I have designed 48 robots and have developed 18 such robots, he said. (ANI)

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Mumbai innovator develops 3 robots to assist healthcare workers, patients amid COVID - The Tribune India

Feedback invited on robotics centre in Neerabup – PerthNow

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Plans for a robotics, drone and automated equipment testing facility in Neerabup are out for consultation.

The City of Wanneroo has invited feedback on DevelopmentWAs plans for the Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct in Neerabup industrial area until July 2.

The application seeks to use 51ha in the Meridian Park industrial estate off Flynn Drive for a research and development centre for industrial and mining equipment.

Last August, the State Government announced $20 million for the facility , which is expected to attract more industry to the area.

A report prepared by Taylor Burrell Barnett for DevelopmentWA said the site would be used for testing, research and development, and training in autonomous, remote operations and robotics.

The AARP is intended to be a world-class facility serving as a development and testing ground, it said.

It will provide opportunities for local industry and business sectors to test a range of technologies.

Existing and proposed industrial development in Meridian Park will ensure that, in future, the AARP can be supported by complementary industries.

In turn, the AARP could attract industry to the locality.

The report said earthworks at the site would finish this year, and testing ground operations in the first stage of project was due to start in 2022.

It said more permanent buildings and structures would be delivered as a second stage.

Future access to the site is proposed from Pederick Road and Greenwhich Parade extensions.

Visit wanneroo.wa.gov.au to make a submission.

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Feedback invited on robotics centre in Neerabup - PerthNow

Jordan – Wikipedia

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Jordan (Arabic: ; tr. Al-Urdunn [al.ur.dun]), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,[a] is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe,[8] within the levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan River. Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Israel and the West Bank of Palestine. The Dead Sea is located along its western borders, and the country has a 26-kilometre (16mi) coastline on the Red Sea in its extreme south-west.[9] Amman is the nation's capital and largest city, as well as the economic, political and cultural centre.[10]

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

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2015census

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Modern-day Jordan has been inhabited by humans since the Paleolithic period. Three stable kingdoms emerged there at the end of the Bronze Age: Ammon, Moab and Edom. Later rulers include the Nabataean Kingdom, the Persian Empire, the Roman Empire, the Rashidun, Umayyad, and Abbasid Caliphates, and the Ottoman Empire. After the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in 1916 during World War I, the Ottoman Empire was partitioned by Britain and France. The Emirate of Transjordan was established in 1921 by the Hashemite, then Emir, Abdullah I, and the emirate became a British protectorate. In 1946, Jordan became an independent state officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan, but was renamed in 1949 to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan after the country captured the West Bank during the 1948 ArabIsraeli War and annexed it until it was lost to Israel in 1967. Jordan renounced its claim to the territory in 1988, and became the second Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.[11] Jordan is a founding member of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation. The sovereign state is a constitutional monarchy, but the king holds wide executive and legislative powers.

Jordan is a semi-arid country, covering an area of 89,342km2 (34,495sqmi), with a population of 10million, making it the eleventh-most populous Arab country. The dominant majority, or around 95% of the country's population, is Sunni Muslim, with an indigenous Christian minority. Jordan has been repeatedly referred to as an "oasis of stability" in the turbulent region of the Middle East. It has been mostly unscathed by the violence that swept the region following the Arab Spring in 2010.[12] From as early as 1948, Jordan has accepted refugees from multiple neighbouring countries in conflict. An estimated 2.1million Palestinian and 1.4million Syrian refugees are present in Jordan as of a 2015 census.[4] The kingdom is also a refuge to thousands of Iraqi Christians fleeing persecution by ISIL.[13] While Jordan continues to accept refugees, the recent large influx from Syria placed substantial strain on national resources and infrastructure.[14]

Jordan ranks high in the Human Development Index, and has an upper middle income economy. The Jordanian economy, one of the smallest economies in the region, is attractive to foreign investors based upon a skilled workforce.[15] The country is a major tourist destination, also attracting medical tourism due to its well developed health sector.[16] Nonetheless, a lack of natural resources, large flow of refugees and regional turmoil have hampered economic growth.[17]

Jordan takes its name from the Jordan River which forms much of the country's northwestern border.[18] While several theories for the origin of the river's name have been proposed, it is most plausible that it derives from the Semitic word Yarad, meaning "the descender", reflecting the river's declivity.[19] Much of the area that makes up modern Jordan was historically called Transjordan, meaning "across the Jordan", used to denote the lands east of the river.[19] The Old Testament refers to the area as "the other side of the Jordan".[19] Early Arab chronicles referred to the river as Al-Urdunn, corresponding to the Semitic Yarden.[20] Jund Al-Urdunn was a military district around the river in the early Islamic era.[20] Later, during the Crusades in the beginning of the second millennium, a lordship was established in the area under the name of Oultrejordain.[21]

The oldest evidence of hominid habitation in Jordan dates back at least 200,000 years.[22] Jordan is rich in Paleolithic (up to 20,000 years ago) remains due to its location within the Levant where expansions of hominids out of Africa converged.[23] Past lakeshore environments attracted different hominids, and several remains of tools have been found from this period.[23] The world's oldest evidence of bread-making was found in a 14,500 years old Natufian site in Jordan's northeastern desert.[24] The transition from hunter-gatherer to establishing populous agricultural villages occurred during the Neolithic period (10,0004,500 BC).[25] 'Ain Ghazal, one such village located in today's eastern Amman, is one of the largest known prehistoric settlements in the Near East.[26] Dozens of plaster statues of the human form dating to 7250 BC or earlier were uncovered there and they are among the oldest ever found.[27] Other than the usual Chalcolithic (45003600 BC) villages such as Tulaylet Ghassul in the Jordan Valley,[28] a series of circular stone enclosures in the eastern basalt desertwhose purpose remains uncertainhave baffled archaeologists.[29]

Fortified towns and urban centers first emerged in the southern Levant early on in the Bronze Age (36001200 BC).[30] Wadi Feynan became a regional centre for copper extraction, which was exploited on a large-scale to produce bronze.[31] Trade and movement of people in the Middle East peaked, spreading and refining civilizations.[32] Villages in Transjordan expanded rapidly in areas with reliable water resources and agricultural land.[32] Ancient Egyptians expanded towards the Levant and controlled both banks of the Jordan River.[33] During the Iron Age (1200332 BC) after the withdrawal of the Egyptians, Transjordan was home to Ammon, Edom and Moab.[34] They spoke Semitic languages of the Canaanite group, and are considered to be tribal kingdoms rather than states.[34] Ammon was located in the Amman plateau; Moab in the highlands east of the Dead Sea; and Edom in the area around Wadi Araba down south.[34]

The Transjordanian kingdoms of Ammon, Edom and Moab were in continuous conflict with the neighboring Hebrew kingdoms of Israel and Judah, centered west of the Jordan River.[35] One record of this is the Mesha Stele erected by the Moabite king Mesha in 840 BC on which he lauds himself for the building projects that he initiated in Moab and commemorates his glory and victory against the Israelites.[36] The stele constitutes one of the most important direct accounts of Biblical history.[37] Around 700 BC, the kingdoms benefited from trade between Syria and Arabia when the Assyrian Empire increasingly controlled the Levant.[38] Babylonians took over the empire after its disintegration in 627 BC.[38] Although the kingdoms supported the Babylonians against Judah in the 597 BC sack of Jerusalem, they rebelled against them a decade later.[38] The kingdoms were reduced to vassals, which they remained under the Persian and Hellenic Empires.[38] By the beginning of Roman rule around 63 BC, the kingdoms of Ammon, Edom and Moab had lost their distinct identities, and were assimilated into the Roman culture.[34]

Alexander the Great's conquest of the Persian Empire in 332 BC introduced Hellenistic culture to the Middle East. After Alexander's death in 323 BC, the empire split among his generals, and in the end much of Transjordan was disputed between the Ptolemies based in Egypt and the Seleucids based in Syria. The Nabataeans, nomadic Arabs based south of Edom, managed to establish an independent kingdom in 169 BC by exploiting the struggle between the two Greek powers. The Nabataean Kingdom controlled much of the trade routes of the region, and it stretched south along the Red Sea coast into the Hejaz desert, up to as far north as Damascus, which it controlled for a short period (8571) BC. The Nabataeans massed a fortune from their control of the trade routes, often drawing the envy of their neighbours. Petra, Nabataea's barren capital, flourished in the 1st century AD, driven by its extensive water irrigation systems and agriculture. The Nabataeans were also talented stone carvers, building their most elaborate structure, Al-Khazneh, in the first century AD.[43] It is believed to be the mausoleum of the Arab Nabataean King Aretas IV.[43]

Roman legions under Pompey conquered much of the Levant in 63 BC, inaugurating a period of Roman rule that lasted four centuries.[44] In 106 AD, Emperor Trajan annexed Nabataea unopposed, and rebuilt the King's Highway which became known as the Via Traiana Nova road.[44] The Romans gave the Greek cities of TransjordanPhiladelphia (Amman), Gerasa (Jerash), Gedara (Umm Quays), Pella (Tabaqat Fahl) and Arbila (Irbid)and other Hellenistic cities in Palestine and southern Syria, a level of autonomy by forming the Decapolis, a ten-city league.[45] Jerash is one of the best preserved Roman cities in the East; it was even visited by Emperor Hadrian during his journey to Palestine.[46]

In 324 AD, the Roman Empire split, and the Eastern Roman Empirelater known as the Byzantine Empirecontinued to control or influence the region until 636 AD.[47] Christianity had become legal within the empire in 313 AD after Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity.[47] The Edict of Thessalonka made Christianity the official state religion in 380 AD. Transjordan prospered during the Byzantine era, and Christian churches were built everywhere. The Aqaba Church in Ayla was built during this era, it is considered to be the world's first purpose built Christian church.[49] Umm ar-Rasas in southern Amman contains at least 16 Byzantine churches.[50] Meanwhile, Petra's importance declined as sea trade routes emerged, and after a 363 earthquake destroyed many structures, it declined further, eventually being abandoned.[43] The Sassanian Empire in the east became the Byzantines' rivals, and frequent confrontations sometimes led to the Sassanids controlling some parts of the region, including Transjordan.[51]

In 629 AD, during the Battle of Mu'tah in what is today Al-Karak, the Byzantines and their Arab Christian clients, the Ghassanids, staved off an attack by a Muslim Rashidun force that marched northwards towards the Levant from the Hejaz (in modern-day Saudi Arabia).[52] The Byzantines however were defeated by the Muslims in 636 AD at the decisive Battle of Yarmouk just north of Transjordan.[52] Transjordan was an essential territory for the conquest of Damascus.[53] The first, or Rashidun, caliphate was followed by that of the Ummayads (661750).[53] Under the Umayyad Caliphate, several desert castles were constructed in Transjordan, including: Qasr Al-Mshatta and Qasr Al-Hallabat.[53] The Abbasid Caliphate's campaign to take over the Umayyad's began in Transjordan.[54] A powerful 749 AD earthquake is thought to have contributed to the Umayyads defeat to the Abbasids, who moved the caliphate's capital from Damascus to Baghdad.[54] During Abbasid rule (750969), several Arab tribes moved northwards and settled in the Levant.[53] As had happened during the Roman era, growth of maritime trade diminished Transjordan's central position, and the area became increasingly impoverished. After the decline of the Abbasids, Transjordan was ruled by the Fatimid Caliphate (9691070), then by the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem (11151187).

The Crusaders constructed several Crusader castles as part of the Lordship of Oultrejordain, including those of Montreal and Al-Karak.[57] The Ayyubids built the Ajloun Castle and rebuilt older castles, to be used as military outposts against the Crusaders. During the Battle of Hattin (1187) near Lake Tiberias just north of Transjordan, the Crusaders lost to Saladin, the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty (11871260). Villages in Transjordan under the Ayyubids became important stops for Muslim pilgrims going to Mecca who travelled along the route that connected Syria to the Hejaz.[59] Several of the Ayyubid castles were used and expanded by the Mamluks (12601516), who divided Transjordan between the provinces of Karak and Damascus. During the next century Transjordan experienced Mongol attacks, but the Mongols were ultimately repelled by the Mamluks after the Battle of Ain Jalut (1260).[61]

In 1516, the Ottoman Caliphate's forces conquered Mamluk territory. Agricultural villages in Transjordan witnessed a period of relative prosperity in the 16th century, but were later abandoned.[63] Transjordan was of marginal importance to the Ottoman authorities.[64] As a result, Ottoman presence was virtually absent and reduced to annual tax collection visits.[63] More Arab Bedouin tribes moved into Transjordan from Syria and the Hejaz during the first three centuries of Ottoman rule, including the Adwan, the Bani Sakhr and the Howeitat. These tribes laid claims to different parts of the region, and with the absence of a meaningful Ottoman authority, Transjordan slid into a state of anarchy that continued till the 19th century. This led to a short-lived occupation by the Wahhabi forces (18031812), an ultra-orthodox Islamic movement that emerged in Najd (in modern-day Saudi Arabia). Ibrahim Pasha, son of the governor of the Egypt Eyalet under the request of the Ottoman sultan, rooted out the Wahhabis by 1818. In 1833 Ibrahim Pasha turned on the Ottomans and established his rule over the Levant.[69] His oppressive policies led to the unsuccessful peasants' revolt in Palestine in 1834.[69] Transjordanian cities of Al-Salt and Al-Karak were destroyed by Ibrahim Pasha's forces for harboring a peasants' revolt leader.[69] Egyptian rule was forcibly ended in 1841, with Ottoman rule restored.[69]

Only after Ibrahim Pasha's campaign did the Ottoman Empire try to solidify its presence in the Syria Vilayet, which Transjordan was part of. A series of tax and land reforms (Tanzimat) in 1864 brought some prosperity back to agriculture and to abandoned villages; the end of virtually autonomy predictably provoked a backlash in other areas of Transjordan. Muslim Circassians and Chechens, fleeing Russian persecution, sought refuge in the Levant.[71] In Transjordan and with Ottoman support, Circassians first settled in the long-abandoned vicinity of Amman in 1867, and later in the surrounding villages.[71] After having established its administration, conscription and heavy taxation policies by the Ottoman authorities led to revolts in the areas it controlled. Transjordan's tribes in particular revolted during the Shoubak (1905) and the Karak Revolts (1910), which were brutally suppressed.[71] The construction of the Hejaz Railway in 1908stretching across the length of Transjordan and linking Mecca with Istanbul helped the population economically, as Transjordan became a stopover for pilgrims.[71] However, increasing policies of Turkification and centralization adopted by the Ottoman Empire disenchanted the Arabs of the Levant.

Four centuries of stagnation during Ottoman rule came to an end during World War I by the 1916 Arab Revolt, driven by long-term resentment towards the Ottoman authorities and growing Arab nationalism.[71] The revolt was led by Sharif Hussein of Mecca, and his sons Abdullah, Faisal and Ali, members of the Hashemite family of the Hejaz, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.[71] Locally, the revolt garnered the support of the Transjordanian tribes, including Bedouins, Circassians and Christians. The Allies of World WarI, including Britain and France, whose imperial interests converged with the Arabist cause, offered support. The revolt started on 5 June 1916 from Medina and pushed northwards until the fighting reached Transjordan in the Battle of Aqaba on 6 July 1917.[75] The revolt reached its climax when Faisal entered Damascus in October 1918, and established an Arab-led military administration in OETA East, later declared as the Arab Kingdom of Syria, both of which Transjordan was part of. During this period, the southernmost region of the country, including Ma'an and Aqaba, was also claimed by the neighbouring Kingdom of Hejaz.

The nascent Hashemite Kingdom over Greater Syria was forced to surrender to French troops on 24 July 1920 during the Battle of Maysalun;[76] the French occupied only the northern part of the Syrian Kingdom, leaving Transjordan in a period of interregnum. Arab aspirations failed to gain international recognition, due mainly to the secret 1916 SykesPicot Agreement, which divided the region into French and British spheres of influence, and the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which promised Palestine to Jews. This was seen by the Hashemites and the Arabs as a betrayal of their previous agreements with the British, including the 1915 McMahonHussein Correspondence, in which the British stated their willingness to recognize the independence of a unified Arab state stretching from Aleppo to Aden under the rule of the Hashemites.[79]

The British High Commissioner, Herbert Samuel, travelled to Transjordan on 21 August 1920 to meet with Al-Salt's residents. He there declared to a crowd of six hundred Transjordanian notables that the British government would aid the establishment of local governments in Transjordan, which is to be kept separate from that of Palestine. The second meeting took place in Umm Qais on 2 September, where the British government representative Major Fitzroy Somerset received a petition that demanded: an independent Arab government in Transjordan to be led by an Arab prince (emir); land sale in Transjordan to Jews be stopped as well as the prevention of Jewish immigration there; that Britain establish and fund a national army; and that free trade be maintained between Transjordan and the rest of the region.[80]

Abdullah, the second son of Sharif Hussein, arrived from Hejaz by train in Ma'an in southern Transjordan on 21 November 1920 to redeem the Greater Syrian Kingdom his brother had lost. Transjordan then was in disarray, widely considered to be ungovernable with its dysfunctional local governments. Abdullah gained the trust of Transjordan's tribal leaders before scrambling to convince them of the benefits of an organized government. Abdullah's successes drew the envy of the British, even when it was in their interest. The British reluctantly accepted Abdullah as ruler of Transjordan after having given him a six-month trial. In March 1921, the British decided to add Transjordan to their Mandate for Palestine, in which they would implement their "Sharifian Solution" policy without applying the provisions of the mandate dealing with Jewish settlement. On 11 April 1921, the Emirate of Transjordan was established with Abdullah as Emir.

In September 1922, the Council of the League of Nations recognized Transjordan as a state under the terms of the Transjordan memorandum.[87][88] Transjordan remained a British mandate until 1946, but it had been granted a greater level of autonomy than the region west of the Jordan River.[89] Multiple difficulties emerged upon the assumption of power in the region by the Hashemite leadership. In Transjordan, small local rebellions at Kura in 1921 and 1923 were suppressed by the Emir's forces with the help of the British. Wahhabis from Najd regained strength and repeatedly raided the southern parts of his territory in (19221924), seriously threatening the Emir's position. The Emir was unable to repel those raids without the aid of the local Bedouin tribes and the British, who maintained a military base with a small RAF detachment close to Amman.

The Treaty of London, signed by the British Government and the Emir of Transjordan on 22 March 1946, recognised the independence of Transjordan upon ratification by both countries' parliaments.[91] On 25 May 1946, the day that the treaty was ratified by the Transjordan parliament, Transjordan was raised to the status of a kingdom under the name of the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan, with Abdullah as its first king.[92] The name was shortened to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on 26 April 1949.[11] 25 May is now celebrated as the nation's Independence Day, a public holiday.[93] Jordan became a member of the United Nations on 14 December 1955.[11]

On 15 May 1948, as part of the 1948 ArabIsraeli War, Jordan intervened in Palestine together with many other Arab states.[94] Following the war, Jordan controlled the West Bank and on 24 April 1950 Jordan formally annexed these territories after the Jericho conference.[95][96] In response, some Arab countries demanded Jordan's expulsion from the Arab League.[95] On 12 June 1950, the Arab League declared that the annexation was a temporary, practical measure and that Jordan was holding the territory as a "trustee" pending a future settlement.[97] King Abdullah was assassinated at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in 1951 by a Palestinian militant, amid rumors he intended to sign a peace treaty with Israel.[98]

Abdullah was succeeded by his son Talal, who would soon abdicate due to illness in favour of his eldest son Hussein.[99] Talal established the country's modern constitution in 1952.[99] Hussein ascended to the throne in 1953 at the age of 17.[98] Jordan witnessed great political uncertainty in the following period.[100] The 1950s were a period of political upheaval, as Nasserism and Pan-Arabism swept the Arab World.[100] On 1 March 1956, King Hussein Arabized the command of the Army by dismissing a number of senior British officers, an act made to remove remaining foreign influence in the country.[101] In 1958, Jordan and neighboring Hashemite Iraq formed the Arab Federation as a response to the formation of the rival United Arab Republic between Nasser's Egypt and Syria.[102] The union lasted only six months, being dissolved after Iraqi King Faisal II (Hussein's cousin) was deposed by a bloody military coup on 14 July 1958.[102]

Jordan signed a military pact with Egypt just before Israel launched a preemptive strike on Egypt to begin the Six-Day War in June 1967, where Jordan and Syria joined the war.[103] The Arab states were defeated and Jordan lost control of the West Bank to Israel.[103] The War of Attrition with Israel followed, which included the 1968 Battle of Karameh where the combined forces of the Jordanian Armed Forces and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) repelled an Israeli attack on the Karameh camp on the Jordanian border with the West Bank.[103] Despite the fact that the Palestinians had limited involvement against the Israeli forces, the events at Karameh gained wide recognition and acclaim in the Arab world.[104] As a result, the time period following the battle witnessed an upsurge of support for Palestinian paramilitary elements (the fedayeen) within Jordan from other Arab countries.[104] The fedayeen activities soon became a threat to Jordan's rule of law.[104] In September 1970, the Jordanian army targeted the fedayeen and the resultant fighting led to the expulsion of Palestinian fighters from various PLO groups into Lebanon, in a conflict that became known as Black September.[104]

In 1973, Egypt and Syria waged the Yom Kippur War on Israel, and fighting occurred along the 1967 Jordan River cease-fire line.[104] Jordan sent a brigade to Syria to attack Israeli units on Syrian territory but did not engage Israeli forces from Jordanian territory.[104] At the Rabat summit conference in 1974, in the aftermath of the Yom-Kippur War, Jordan agreed, along with the rest of the Arab League, that the PLO was the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people".[104] Subsequently, Jordan renounced its claims to the West Bank in 1988.[104]

At the 1991 Madrid Conference, Jordan agreed to negotiate a peace treaty sponsored by the US and the Soviet Union.[104] The Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace was signed on 26 October 1994.[104] In 1997, in retribution for a bombing, Israeli agents entered Jordan using Canadian passports and poisoned Khaled Meshal, a senior Hamas leader living in Jordan.[104] Bowing to intense international pressure, Israel provided an antidote to the poison and released dozens of political prisoners, including Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, after King Hussein threatened to annul the peace treaty.[104]

On 7 February 1999, Abdullah II ascended the throne upon the death of his father Hussein, who had ruled for nearly 50 years.[105] Abdullah embarked on economic liberalization when he assumed the throne, and his reforms led to an economic boom which continued until 2008.[106] Abdullah II has been credited with increasing foreign investment, improving public-private partnerships and providing the foundation for Aqaba's free-trade zone and Jordan's flourishing information and communication technology (ICT) sector.[106] He also set up five other special economic zones.[106] However, during the following years Jordan's economy experienced hardship as it dealt with the effects of the Great Recession and spillover from the Arab Spring.[107]

Al-Qaeda under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's leadership launched coordinated explosions in three hotel lobbies in Amman on 9 November 2005, resulting in 60 deaths and 115 injured.[108] The bombings, which targeted civilians, caused widespread outrage among Jordanians.[108] The attack is considered to be a rare event in the country, and Jordan's internal security was dramatically improved afterwards.[108] No major terrorist attacks have occurred since then.[109] Abdullah and Jordan are viewed with contempt by Islamic extremists for the country's peace treaty with Israel and its relationship with the West.[110]

The Arab Spring were large-scale protests that erupted in the Arab World in 2011, demanding economic and political reforms.[111] Many of these protests tore down regimes in some Arab nations, leading to instability that ended with violent civil wars.[111] In Jordan, in response to domestic unrest, Abdullah replaced his prime minister and introduced a number of reforms including: reforming the Constitution, and laws governing public freedoms and elections.[111] Proportional representation was re-introduced to the Jordanian parliament in the 2016 general election, a move which he said would eventually lead to establishing parliamentary governments.[112] Jordan was left largely unscathed from the violence that swept the region despite an influx of 1.4million Syrian refugees into the natural resources-lacking country and the emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).[112]

Jordan sits strategically at the crossroads of the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe,[8] in the Levant area of the Fertile Crescent, a cradle of civilization.[113] It is 89,341 square kilometres (34,495sqmi) large, and 400 kilometres (250mi) long between its northernmost and southernmost points; Umm Qais and Aqaba respectively.[18] The kingdom lies between 29 and 34 N, and 34 and 40 E. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and the east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north, and Israel and Palestine (West Bank) to the west

The east is an arid plateau irrigated by oases and seasonal water streams.[18] Major cities are overwhelmingly located on the north-western part of the kingdom due to its fertile soils and relatively abundant rainfall.[114] These include Irbid, Jerash and Zarqa in the northwest, the capital Amman and Al-Salt in the central west, and Madaba, Al-Karak and Aqaba in the southwest.[114] Major towns in the eastern part of the country are the oasis towns of Azraq and Ruwaished.[113]

In the west, a highland area of arable land and Mediterranean evergreen forestry drops suddenly into the Jordan Rift Valley.[113] The rift valley contains the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, which separates Jordan from Israel.[113] Jordan has a 26 kilometres (16mi) shoreline on the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea, but is otherwise landlocked.[9] The Yarmouk River, an eastern tributary of the Jordan, forms part of the boundary between Jordan and Syria (including the occupied Golan Heights) to the north.[9] The other boundaries are formed by several international and local agreements and do not follow well-defined natural features.[113] The highest point is Jabal Umm al Dami, at 1,854m (6,083ft) above sea level, while the lowest is the Dead Sea 420m (1,378ft), the lowest land point on earth.[113]

Jordan has a diverse range of habitats, ecosystems and biota due to its varied landscapes and environments.[115] The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature was set up in 1966 to protect and manage Jordan's natural resources.[116] Nature reserves in Jordan include the Dana Biosphere Reserve, the Azraq Wetland Reserve, the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve and the Mujib Nature Reserve.[116]

The climate in Jordan varies greatly. Generally, the further inland from the Mediterranean, there are greater contrasts in temperature and less rainfall.[18] The country's average elevation is 812m (2,664ft) (SL).[18] The highlands above the Jordan Valley, mountains of the Dead Sea and Wadi Araba and as far south as Ras Al-Naqab are dominated by a Mediterranean climate, while the eastern and northeastern areas of the country are arid desert.[117] Although the desert parts of the kingdom reach high temperatures, the heat is usually moderated by low humidity and a daytime breeze, while the nights are cool.[118]

Summers, lasting from May to September, are hot and dry, with temperatures averaging around 32C (90F) and sometimes exceeding 40C (104F) between July and August.[118] The winter, lasting from November to March, is relatively cool, with temperatures averaging around 13C (55F).[117] Winter also sees frequent showers and occasional snowfall in some western elevated areas.[117]

Over 2,000 plant species have been recorded in Jordan.[119] Many of the flowering plants bloom in the spring after the winter rains and the type of vegetation depends largely on the levels of precipitation. The mountainous regions in the northwest are clothed in forests, while further south and east the vegetation becomes more scrubby and transitions to steppe-type vegetation.[120] Forests cover 1.5million dunums (1,500km2), less than 2% of Jordan, making Jordan among the world's least forested countries, the international average being 15%.[121]

Plant species and genera include the Aleppo pine, Sarcopoterium, Salvia dominica, black iris, Tamarix, Anabasis, Artemisia, Acacia, Mediterranean cypress and Phoenecian juniper.[122] The mountainous regions in the northwest are clothed in natural forests of pine, deciduous oak, evergreen oak, pistachio and wild olive.[123] Mammal and reptile species include, the long-eared hedgehog, Nubian ibex, wild boar, fallow deer, Arabian wolf, desert monitor, honey badger, glass snake, caracal, golden jackal and the roe deer, among others.[124][125][126] Bird include the hooded crow, Eurasian jay, lappet-faced vulture, barbary falcon, hoopoe, pharaoh eagle-owl, common cuckoo, Tristram's starling, Palestine sunbird, Sinai rosefinch, lesser kestrel, house crow and the white-spectacled bulbul.[127]

Four terrestrial ecoregions lie with Jordan's borders: Syrian xeric grasslands and shrublands, Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forests, Mesopotamian shrub desert, and Red Sea Nubo-Sindian tropical desert and semi-desert.[128]

Jordan is a unitary state under a constitutional monarchy. Jordan's constitution, adopted in 1952 and amended a number of times since, is the legal framework that governs the monarch, government, bicameral legislature and judiciary.[129] The king retains wide executive and legislative powers from the government and parliament.[130] The king exercises his powers through the government that he appoints for a four-year term, which is responsible before the parliament that is made up of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The judiciary is independent according to the constitution.[129]

The king is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the army. He can declare war and peace, ratify laws and treaties, convene and close legislative sessions, call and postpone elections, dismiss the government and dissolve the parliament.[129] The appointed government can also be dismissed through a majority vote of no confidence by the elected House of Representatives. After a bill is proposed by the government, it must be approved by the House of Representatives then the Senate, and becomes law after being ratified by the king. A royal veto on legislation can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in a joint session of both houses. The parliament also has the right of interpellation.[129]

The 65 members of the upper Senate are directly appointed by the king, the constitution mandates that they be veteran politicians, judges and generals who previously served in the government or in the House of Representatives.[131] The 130 members of the lower House of Representatives are elected through party-list proportional representation in 23 constituencies for a 4-year term.[132] Minimum quotas exist in the House of Representatives for women (15 seats, though they won 20 seats in the 2016 election), Christians (9 seats) and Circassians and Chechens (3 seats).[133]

Courts are divided into three categories: civil, religious, and special.[134] The civil courts deal with civil and criminal matters, including cases brought against the government.[134] The civil courts include Magistrate Courts, Courts of First Instance, Courts of Appeal,[134] High Administrative Courts which hear cases relating to administrative matters,[135] and the Constitutional Court which was set up in 2012 in order to hear cases regarding the constitutionality of laws.[136] Although Islam is the state religion, the constitution preserves religious and personal freedoms. Religious law only extends to matters of personal status such as divorce and inheritance in religious courts, and is partially based on Islamic Sharia law.[137] The special court deals with cases forwarded by the civil one.[138]

The capital city of Jordan is Amman, located in north-central Jordan.[10] Jordan is divided into 12 governorates (muhafazah) (informally grouped into three regions: northern, central, southern). These are subdivided into a total of 52 districts (Liwaa'), which are further divided into neighbourhoods in urban areas or into towns in rural ones.[139]

The current monarch, Abdullah II, ascended to the throne in February 1999 after the death of his father King Hussein. Abdullah re-affirmed Jordan's commitment to the peace treaty with Israel and its relations with the United States. He refocused the government's agenda on economic reform, during his first year. King Abdullah's eldest son, Prince Hussein, is the current Crown Prince of Jordan.[140] The current prime minister is Omar Razzaz who received his position on 4 June 2018 after his predecessor's austerity measures forced widespread protests.[141] Abdullah had announced his intentions of turning Jordan into a parliamentary system, where the largest bloc in parliament forms a government. However, the underdevelopment of political parties in the country has hampered such moves.[142] Jordan has around 50 political parties representing nationalist, leftist, Islamist, and liberal ideologies.[143] Political parties contested a fifth of the seats in the 2016 elections, the remainder belonging to independent politicians.[144]

According to Freedom House, Jordan is ranked as the 3rd freest Arab country, and as "partly free" in the Freedom in the World 2019 report.[145] The 2010 Arab Democracy Index from the Arab Reform Initiative ranked Jordan first in the state of democratic reforms out of 15 Arab countries.[146] Jordan ranked first among the Arab states and 78th globally in the Human Freedom Index in 2015,[147] and ranked 55th out of 175 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) issued by Transparency International in 2014, where 175th is most corrupt.[148] In the 2016 Press Freedom Index maintained by Reporters Without Borders, Jordan ranked 135th out of 180 countries worldwide, and 5th of 19 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region. Jordan's score was 44 on a scale from 0 (most free) to 105 (least free). The report added "the Arab Spring and the Syrian conflict have led the authorities to tighten their grip on the media and, in particular, the Internet, despite an outcry from civil society".[149] Jordanian media consists of public and private institutions. Popular Jordanian newspapers include Al Ghad and the Jordan Times. Al-Mamlaka, Ro'ya and Jordan TV are some Jordanian TV channels.[150] Internet penetration in Jordan reached 76% in 2015.[151] There are concerns that the government will use the COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan to silence dissidents.[152][153]

The first level subdivision in Jordan is the muhafazah or governorate. The governorates are divided into liwa or districts, which are often further subdivided into qda or sub-districts.[155] Control for each administrative unit is in a "chief town" (administrative centre) known as a nahia.[155]

The kingdom has followed a pro-Western foreign policy and maintained close relations with the United States and the United Kingdom. During the first Gulf War (1990), these relations were damaged by Jordan's neutrality and its maintenance of relations with Iraq. Later, Jordan restored its relations with Western countries through its participation in the enforcement of UN sanctions against Iraq and in the Southwest Asia peace process. After King Hussein's death in 1999, relations between Jordan and the Persian Gulf countries greatly improved.[156]

Jordan is a key ally of the US and UK and, together with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, is one of only three Arab nations to have signed peace treaties with Israel, Jordan's direct neighbour.[157] Jordan views an independent Palestinian state with the 1967 borders, as part of the two-state solution and of supreme national interest.[158] The ruling Hashemite dynasty has had custodianship over holy sites in Jerusalem since 1924, a position re-inforced in the IsraelJordan peace treaty. Turmoil in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque between Israelis and Palestinians created tensions between Jordan and Israel concerning the former's role in protecting the Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem.[159]

Jordan is a founding member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and of the Arab League.[160][161] It enjoys "advanced status" with the European Union and is part of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), which aims to increase links between the EU and its neighbours.[162] Jordan and Morocco tried to join the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in 2011, but the Gulf countries offered a five-year development aid programme instead.[163]

The first organised army in Jordan was established on 22 October 1920, and was named the "Arab Legion". The Legion grew from 150 men in 1920 to 8,000 in 1946.[164] Jordan's capture of the West Bank during the 1948 ArabIsraeli War proved that the Arab Legion, known today as the Jordan Armed Forces, was the most effective among the Arab troops involved in the war.[164] The Royal Jordanian Army, which boasts around 110,000 personnel, is considered to be among the most professional in the region, due to being particularly well-trained and organised.[164] The Jordanian military enjoys strong support and aid from the United States, the United Kingdom and France. This is due to Jordan's critical position in the Middle East.[164] The development of Special Operations Forces has been particularly significant, enhancing the capability of the military to react rapidly to threats to homeland security, as well as training special forces from the region and beyond.[165] Jordan provides extensive training to the security forces of several Arab countries.[166]

There are about 50,000 Jordanian troops working with the United Nations in peacekeeping missions across the world. Jordan ranks third internationally in participation in U.N. peacekeeping missions,[167] with one of the highest levels of peacekeeping troop contributions of all U.N. member states.[168] Jordan has dispatched several field hospitals to conflict zones and areas affected by natural disasters across the region.[169]

In 2014, Jordan joined an aerial bombardment campaign by an international coalition led by the United States against the Islamic State as part of its intervention in the Syrian Civil War.[170] In 2015, Jordan participated in the Saudi Arabian-led military intervention in Yemen against the Houthis and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was deposed in the 2011 uprising.[171]

Jordan's law enforcement is under the purview of the Public Security Directorate (which includes approximately 50,000 persons) and the General Directorate of Gendarmerie, both of which are subordinate to the country's Ministry of Interior. The first police force in the Jordanian state was organised after the fall of the Ottoman Empire on 11 April 1921.[172] Until 1956 police duties were carried out by the Arab Legion and the Transjordan Frontier Force. After that year the Public Safety Directorate was established.[172] The number of female police officers is increasing. In the 1970s, it was the first Arab country to include females in its police force.[173] Jordan's law enforcement was ranked 37th in the world and 3rd in the Middle East, in terms of police services' performance, by the 2016 World Internal Security and Police Index.[12][174]

Jordan is classified by the World Bank as an "upper-middle income" country.[175] However, approximately 14.4% of the population lives below the national poverty line on a longterm basis (as of 2010[update]),[175] while almost a third fell below the national poverty line during some time of the yearknown as transient poverty.[176] The economy, which has a GDP of $39.453billion (as of 2016[update]),[5] grew at an average rate of 8% per annum between 2004 and 2008, and around 2.6% 2010 onwards.[18] GDP per capita rose by 351% in the 1970s, declined 30% in the 1980s, and rose 36% in the 1990scurrently $9,406 per capita by purchasing power parity.[177] The Jordanian economy is one of the smallest economies in the region, and the country's populace suffers from relatively high rates of unemployment and poverty.[18]

Jordan's economy is relatively well diversified. Trade and finance combined account for nearly one-third of GDP; transportation and communication, public utilities, and construction account for one-fifth, and mining and manufacturing constitute nearly another fifth.[17] Net official development assistance to Jordan in 2009 totalled US$761million; according to the government, approximately two-thirds of this was allocated as grants, of which half was direct budget support.[178]

The official currency is the Jordanian dinar, which is pegged to the IMF's special drawing rights (SDRs), equivalent to an exchange rate of 1 US$ 0.709 dinar, or approximately 1 dinar 1.41044 dollars.[179] In 2000, Jordan joined the World Trade Organization and signed the JordanUnited States Free Trade Agreement, thus becoming the first Arab country to establish a free trade agreement with the United States. Jordan enjoys advanced status with the EU, which has facilitated greater access to export to European markets.[180] Due to slow domestic growth, high energy and food subsidies and a bloated public-sector workforce, Jordan usually runs annual budget deficits.[181]

The Great Recession and the turmoil caused by the Arab Spring have depressed Jordan's GDP growth, damaging trade, industry, construction and tourism.[18] Tourist arrivals have dropped sharply since 2011.[182] Since 2011, the natural gas pipeline in Sinai supplying Jordan from Egypt was attacked 32 times by Islamic State affiliates. Jordan incurred billions of dollars in losses because it had to substitute more expensive heavy-fuel oils to generate electricity.[183] In November 2012, the government cut subsidies on fuel, increasing its price.[184] The decision, which was later revoked, caused large scale protests to break out across the country.[181][182]

Jordan's total foreign debt in 2011 was $19billion, representing 60% of its GDP. In 2016, the debt reached $35.1billion representing 93% of its GDP.[107] This substantial increase is attributed to effects of regional instability causing: decrease in tourist activity; decreased foreign investments; increased military expenditure; attacks on Egyptian pipeline; the collapse of trade with Iraq and Syria; expenses from hosting Syrian refugees and accumulated interests from loans.[107] According to the World Bank, Syrian refugees have cost Jordan more than $2.5billion a year, amounting to 6% of the GDP and 25% of the government's annual revenue.[185] Foreign aid covers only a small part of these costs, 63% of the total costs are covered by Jordan.[186] An austerity programme was adopted by the government which aims to reduce Jordan's debt-to-GDP ratio to 77 percent by 2021.[187] The programme succeeded in preventing the debt from rising above 95% in 2018.[188]

The proportion of well-educated and skilled workers in Jordan is among the highest in the region in sectors such as ICT and industry, due to a relatively modern educational system. This has attracted large foreign investments to Jordan and has enabled the country to export its workforce to Persian Gulf countries.[15] Flows of remittances to Jordan grew rapidly, particularly during the end of the 1970s and 1980s, and remains an important source of external funding.[189] Remittances from Jordanian expatriates were $3.8billion in 2015, a notable rise in the amount of transfers compared to 2014 where remittances reached over $3.66billion listing Jordan as fourth largest recipient in the region.[190]

Jordan is ranked as having the 35th best infrastructure in the world, one of the highest rankings in the developing world, according to the 2010 World Economic Forum's Index of Economic Competitiveness. This high infrastructural development is necessitated by its role as a transit country for goods and services to Palestine and Iraq. Palestinians use Jordan as a transit country due to the Israeli restrictions and Iraqis use Jordan due to the instability in Iraq.[191]

According to data from the Jordanian Ministry of Public Works and Housing, as of 2011[update], the Jordanian road network consisted of 2,878km (1,788mi) of main roads; 2,592km (1,611mi) of rural roads and 1,733km (1,077mi) of side roads. The Hejaz Railway built during the Ottoman Empire which extended from Damascus to Mecca will act as a base for future railway expansion plans. Currently, the railway has little civilian activity; it is primarily used for transporting goods. A national railway project is currently undergoing studies and seeking funding sources.[192]

Jordan has three commercial airports, all receiving and dispatching international flights. Two are in Amman and the third is in Aqaba, King Hussein International Airport. Amman Civil Airport serves several regional routes and charter flights while Queen Alia International Airport is the major international airport in Jordan and is the hub for Royal Jordanian Airlines, the flag carrier. Queen Alia International Airport expansion was completed in 2013 with new terminals costing $700million, to handle over 16million passengers annually.[193] It is now considered a state-of-the-art airport and was awarded 'the best airport by region: Middle East' for 2014 and 2015 by Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey, the world's leading airport passenger satisfaction benchmark programme.[194]

The Port of Aqaba is the only port in Jordan. In 2006, the port was ranked as being the "Best Container Terminal" in the Middle East by Lloyd's List. The port was chosen due to it being a transit cargo port for other neighbouring countries, its location between four countries and three continents, being an exclusive gateway for the local market and for the improvements it has recently witnessed.[195]

The tourism sector is considered a cornerstone of the economy and is a large source of employment, hard currency, and economic growth. In 2010, there were 8million visitors to Jordan. The majority of tourists coming to Jordan are from European and Arab countries.[16] The tourism sector in Jordan has been severely affected by regional turbulence.[196] The most recent blow to the tourism sector was caused by the Arab Spring. Jordan experienced a 70% decrease in the number of tourists from 2010 to 2016.[197] Tourist numbers started to recover as of 2017.[197]

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Jordan is home to around 100,000 archaeological and tourist sites.[198] Some very well preserved historical cities include Petra and Jerash, the former being Jordan's most popular tourist attraction and an icon of the kingdom.[197] Jordan is part of the Holy Land and has several biblical attractions that attract pilgrimage activities. Biblical sites include: Al-Maghtasa traditional location for the Baptism of Jesus, Mount Nebo, Umm ar-Rasas, Madaba and Machaerus.[199] Islamic sites include shrines of the prophet Muhammad's companions such as 'Abd Allah ibn Rawahah, Zayd ibn Harithah and Muadh ibn Jabal.[200] Ajlun Castle built by Muslim Ayyubid leader Saladin in the 12th century AD during his wars with the Crusaders, is also a popular tourist attraction.[8]

Modern entertainment, recreation and souqs in urban areas, mostly in Amman, also attract tourists. Recently, the nightlife in Amman, Aqaba and Irbid has started to emerge and the number of bars, discos and nightclubs is on the rise.[201] Alcohol is widely available in tourist restaurants, liquor stores and even some supermarkets.[202] Valleys including Wadi Mujib and hiking trails in different parts of the country attract adventurers. Hiking is getting more and more popular among tourists and locals. Places such as Dana Biosphere Reserve and Petra offer numerous signposted hiking trails. Moreover, seaside recreation is present on the shores of Aqaba and the Dead Sea through several international resorts.[203]

Jordan has been a medical tourism destination in the Middle East since the 1970s. A study conducted by Jordan's Private Hospitals Association found that 250,000 patients from 102 countries received treatment in Jordan in 2010, compared to 190,000 in 2007, bringing over $1billion in revenue. Jordan is the region's top medical tourism destination, as rated by the World Bank, and fifth in the world overall.[204] The majority of patients come from Yemen, Libya and Syria due to the ongoing civil wars in those countries. Jordanian doctors and medical staff have gained experience in dealing with war patients through years of receiving such cases from various conflict zones in the region.[205] Jordan also is a hub for natural treatment methods in both Ma'in Hot Springs and the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is often described as a 'natural spa'. It contains 10 times more salt than the average ocean, which makes it impossible to sink in. The high salt concentration of the Dead Sea has been proven therapeutic for many skin diseases.[citation needed] The uniqueness of this lake attracts several Jordanian and foreign vacationers, which boosted investments in the hotel sector in the area.[206] The Jordan Trail, a 650km (400mi) hiking trail stretching the entire country from north to south, crossing several of Jordan's attractions was established in 2015.[207] The trail aims to revive the Jordanian tourism sector.[207]

Jordan is among the most water-scarce nations on earth. At 97 cubic meters of water per person per year, it is considered to face "absolute water scarcity" according to the Falkenmark Classification.[208] Scarce resources to begin with have been aggravated by the massive influx of Syrian refugees into Jordan, many of whom face issues of access to clean water due to living in informal settlements (see "Immigrants and Refugees" below).[209] Jordan shares both of its two main surface water resources, the Jordan and Yarmouk rivers, with neighbouring countries, adding complexity to water allocation decisions.[208] Water from Disi aquifer and ten major dams historically played a large role in providing Jordan's need for fresh water.[210] The Jawa Dam in northeastern Jordan, which dates back to the fourth millennium BC, is the world's oldest dam.[211] The Dead Sea is receding at an alarming rate. Multiple canals and pipelines were proposed to reduce its recession, which had begun causing sinkholes. The Red SeaDead Sea Water Conveyance project, carried out by Jordan, will provide water to the country and to Israel and Palestine, while the brine will be carried to the Dead Sea to help stabilise its levels. The first phase of the project is scheduled to begin in 2019 and to be completed in 2021.[212]

Natural gas was discovered in Jordan in 1987, however, the estimated size of the reserve discovered was about 230billion cubic feet, a minuscule quantity compared with its oil-rich neighbours. The Risha field, in the eastern desert beside the Iraqi border, produces nearly 35million cubic feet of gas a day, which is sent to a nearby power plant to generate a small amount of Jordan's electricity needs.[213] This led to a reliance on importing oil to generate almost all of its electricity. Regional instability over the decades halted oil and gas supply to the kingdom from various sources, making it incur billions of dollars in losses. Jordan built a liquified natural gas port in Aqaba in 2012 to temporarily substitute the supply, while formulating a strategy to rationalize energy consumption and to diversify its energy sources. Jordan receives 330 days of sunshine per year, and wind speeds reach over 7m/s in the mountainous areas, so renewables proved a promising sector.[214] King Abdullah inaugurated large-scale renewable energy projects in the 2010s including: the 117 MW Tafila Wind Farm, the 53 MW Shams Ma'an and the 103 MW Quweira solar power plants, with several more projects planned. By early 2019, it was reported that more than 1090 MW of renewable energy projects had been completed, contributing to 8% of Jordan's electricity up from 3% in 2011, while 92% was generated from gas.[215] After having initially set the percentage of renewable energy Jordan aimed to generate by 2020 at 10%, the government announced in 2018 that it sought to beat that figure and aim for 20%.[216]

Jordan has the 5th largest oil-shale reserves in the world, which could be commercially exploited in the central and northwestern regions of the country.[217] Official figures estimate the kingdom's oil shale reserves at more than 70billion tonnes. The extraction of oil-shale had been delayed a couple of years due to technological difficulties and the relatively higher costs.[218] The government overcame the difficulties and in 2017 laid the groundbreaking for the Attarat Power Plant, a $2.2billion oil shale-dependent power plant that is expected to generate 470 MW after it is completed in 2020.[219] Jordan also aims to benefit from its large uranium reserves by tapping nuclear energy. The original plan involved constructing two 1000 MW reactors but has been scrapped due to financial constraints.[220] Currently, the country's Atomic Energy Commission is considering building small modular reactors instead, whose capacities hover below 500 MW and can provide new water sources through desalination. In 2018, the commission announced that Jordan was in talks with multiple companies to build the country's first commercial nuclear plant, a Helium-cooled reactor that is scheduled for completion by 2025.[221] Phosphate mines in the south have made Jordan one of the largest producers and exporters of the mineral in the world.[222]

Jordan's well developed industrial sector, which includes mining, manufacturing, construction, and power, accounted for approximately 26% of the GDP in 2004 (including manufacturing, 16.2%; construction, 4.6%; and mining, 3.1%). More than 21% of Jordan's labor force was employed in industry in 2002. In 2014, industry accounted for 6% of the GDP.[223] The main industrial products are potash, phosphates, cement, clothes, and fertilisers. The most promising segment of this sector is construction. Petra Engineering Industries Company, which is considered to be one of the main pillars of Jordanian industry, has gained international recognition with its air-conditioning units reaching NASA.[224] Jordan is now considered to be a leading pharmaceuticals manufacturer in the MENA region led by Jordanian pharmaceutical company Hikma.[225]

Jordan's military industry thrived after the King Abdullah Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) defence company was established by King Abdullah II in 1999, to provide an indigenous capability for the supply of scientific and technical services to the Jordanian Armed Forces, and to become a global hub in security research and development. It manufactures all types of military products, many of which are presented at the bi-annually held international military exhibition SOFEX. In 2015, KADDB exported $72million worth of industries to over 42 countries.[226]

Science and technology is the country's fastest developing economic sector. This growth is occurring across multiple industries, including information and communications technology (ICT) and nuclear technology. Jordan contributes 75% of the Arabic content on the Internet.[228] In 2014, the ICT sector accounted for more than 84,000 jobs and contributed to 12% of the GDP. More than 400 companies are active in telecom, information technology and video game development. There are 600 companies operating in active technologies and 300 start-up companies.[228]

Nuclear science and technology is also expanding. The Jordan Research and Training Reactor, which began working in 2016, is a 5 MW training reactor located at the Jordan University of Science and Technology in Ar Ramtha.[229] The facility is the first nuclear reactor in the country and will provide Jordan with radioactive isotopes for medical usage and provide training to students to produce a skilled workforce for the country's planned commercial nuclear reactors.[229]

Jordan was also selected as the location for the Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) facility, supported by UNESCO and CERN.[230] This particle accelerator that was opened in 2017 will allow collaboration between scientists from various rival Middle Eastern countries.[230] The facility is the only particle accelerator in the Middle East, and one of only 60 synchrotron radiation facilities in the world.[230]

The 2015 census showed Jordan's population to be 9,531,712 (Female: 47%; Males: 53%). Around 2.9million (30%) were non-citizens, a figure including refugees, and illegal immigrants.[4] There were 1,977,534 households in Jordan in 2015, with an average of 4.8 persons per household (compared to 6.7 persons per household for the census of 1979).[4] The capital and largest city of Jordan is Amman, which is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities and one of the most modern in the Arab world.[232] The population of Amman was 65,754 in 1946, but exceeded 4million by 2015.

Arabs make up about 98% of the population. The remaining 2% consist largely of peoples from the Caucasus including Circassians, Armenians, and Chechens, along with smaller minority groups.[18] About 84.1% of the population live in urban areas.[18]

Jordan is a home to 2,175,491 Palestinian refugees as of December 2016; most of them, but not all, were granted Jordanian citizenship.[233] The first wave of Palestinian refugees arrived during the 1948 ArabIsraeli War and peaked in the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1990 Gulf War. In the past, Jordan had given many Palestinian refugees citizenship, however recently Jordanian citizenship is given only in rare cases. 370,000 of these Palestinians live in UNRWA refugee camps.[233] Following the capture of the West Bank by Israel in 1967, Jordan revoked the citizenship of thousands of Palestinians to thwart any attempt to permanently resettle from the West Bank to Jordan. West Bank Palestinians with family in Jordan or Jordanian citizenship were issued yellow cards guaranteeing them all the rights of Jordanian citizenship if requested.[234]

Up to 1,000,000 Iraqis moved to Jordan following the Iraq War in 2003,[235] and most of them have returned. In 2015, their number in Jordan was 130,911. Many Iraqi Christians (Assyrians/Chaldeans) however settled temporarily or permanently in Jordan.[236] Immigrants also include 15,000 Lebanese who arrived following the 2006 Lebanon War.[237] Since 2010, over 1.4million Syrian refugees have fled to Jordan to escape the violence in Syria,[4] the largest population being in the Zaatari refugee camp. The kingdom has continued to demonstrate hospitality, despite the substantial strain the flux of Syrian refugees places on the country. The effects are largely affecting Jordanian communities, as the vast majority of Syrian refugees do not live in camps. The refugee crisis effects include competition for job opportunities, water resources and other state provided services, along with the strain on the national infrastructure.[14]

In 2007, there were up to 150,000 Assyrian Christians; most are Eastern Aramaic speaking refugees from Iraq.[238] Kurds number some 30,000, and like the Assyrians, many are refugees from Iraq, Iran and Turkey.[239] Descendants of Armenians that sought refuge in the Levant during the 1915 Armenian genocide number approximately 5,000 persons, mainly residing in Amman.[240] A small number of ethnic Mandeans also reside in Jordan, again mainly refugees from Iraq.[241] Around 12,000 Iraqi Christians have sought refuge in Jordan after the Islamic State took the city of Mosul in 2014.[242] Several thousand Libyans, Yemenis and Sudanese have also sought asylum in Jordan to escape instability and violence in their respective countries.[14] The 2015 Jordanian census recorded that there were 1,265,000 Syrians, 636,270 Egyptians, 634,182 Palestinians, 130,911 Iraqis, 31,163 Yemenis, 22,700 Libyans and 197,385 from other nationalities residing in the country.[4]

There are around 1.2million illegal, and 500,000 legal, migrant workers in the kingdom.[243] Thousands of foreign women, mostly from the Middle East and Eastern Europe, work in nightclubs, hotels and bars across the kingdom.[244][245][246] American and European expatriate communities are concentrated in the capital, as the city is home to many international organizations and diplomatic missions.[202]

Sunni Islam is the dominant religion in Jordan. Muslims make up about 95% of the country's population; in turn, 93% of those self-identify as Sunnis.[247] There are also a small number of Ahmadi Muslims,[248] and some Shiites. Many Shia are Iraqi and Lebanese refugees.[249] Muslims who convert to another religion as well as missionaries from other religions face societal and legal discrimination.[250]

Jordan contains some of the oldest Christian communities in the world, dating as early as the 1st century AD after the crucifixion of Jesus.[251] Christians today make up about 4% of the population,[252] down from 20% in 1930, though their absolute number has grown.[13] This is due to high immigration rates of Muslims into Jordan, higher emigration rates of Christians to the West and higher birth rates for Muslims.[253] Jordanian Christians number around 250,000, all of whom are Arabic-speaking, according to a 2014 estimate by the Orthodox Church, though the study excluded minority Christian groups and the thousands of Western, Iraqi and Syrian Christians residing in Jordan.[252] Christians are exceptionally well integrated in the Jordanian society and enjoy a high level of freedom.[254] Christians traditionally occupy two cabinet posts, and are reserved nine seats out of the 130 in the parliament.[255] The highest political position reached by a Christian is the Deputy Prime Minister, currently held by Rajai Muasher.[256] Christians are also influential in the media.[257] Smaller religious minorities include Druze, Bahs and Mandaeans. Most Jordanian Druze live in the eastern oasis town of Azraq, some villages on the Syrian border, and the city of Zarqa, while most Jordanian Bahs live in the village of Adassiyeh bordering the Jordan Valley.[258] It is estimated that 1,400 Mandaeans live in Amman, they came from Iraq after the 2003 invasion fleeing persecution.[259]

The official language is Modern Standard Arabic, a literary language taught in the schools.[260] Most Jordanians natively speak one of the non-standard Arabic dialects known as Jordanian Arabic. Jordanian Sign Language is the language of the deaf community. English, though without official status, is widely spoken throughout the country and is the de facto language of commerce and banking, as well as a co-official status in the education sector; almost all university-level classes are held in English and almost all public schools teach English along with Standard Arabic.[260] Chechen, Circassian, Armenian, Tagalog, and Russian are popular among their communities.[261] French is offered as an elective in many schools, mainly in the private sector.[260] German is an increasingly popular language; it has been introduced at a larger scale since the establishment of the German-Jordanian University in 2005.[262]

Many institutions in Jordan aim to increase cultural awareness of Jordanian Art and to represent Jordan's artistic movements in fields such as paintings, sculpture, graffiti and photography.[263] The art scene has been developing in the past few years[264] and Jordan has been a haven for artists from surrounding countries.[265] In January 2016, for the first time ever, a Jordanian film called Theeb was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.[266]

The largest museum in Jordan is The Jordan Museum. It contains much of the valuable archaeological findings in the country, including some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Neolithic limestone statues of 'Ain Ghazal and a copy of the Mesha Stele.[267] Most museums in Jordan are located in Amman including The Children's Museum Jordan, The Martyr's Memorial and Museum and the Royal Automobile Museum. Museums outside Amman include the Aqaba Archaeological Museum.[268] The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts is a major contemporary art museum located in Amman.[268]

Music in Jordan is now developing with a lot of new bands and artists, who are now popular in the Middle East. Artists such as Omar Al-Abdallat, Toni Qattan, Diana Karazon and Hani Mitwasi have increased the popularity of Jordanian music.[269] The Jerash Festival is an annual music event that features popular Arab singers.[269] Pianist and composer Zade Dirani has gained wide international popularity.[270] There is also an increasing growth of alternative Arabic rock bands, who are dominating the scene in the Arab World, including: El Morabba3, Autostrad, JadaL, Akher Zapheer and Aziz Maraka.[271]

Jordan unveiled its first underwater military museum off the coast of Aqaba. Several military vehicles, including tanks, troop carriers and a helicopter are in the museum.[272]

Several Jordanian writers and poets have gained fame in the Arab world including Mustafa Wahbi Tal (Arar), Tayseer Sboul, Nahed Hattar, Fadi Zaghmout and others.

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Built on Defiance

Before his six Championships, six finals MVPs, five regular-season MVPs, and two gold medals, Michael Jordan started off like everyone else: a kid with a dream. As a sophomore in high school, Michael even struggled to make varsity. But what happened next would define the rest of Michaels career, as well as the Jordan Brand.

Instead of throwing in the towel, MJ went all in. He trained non-stop for the next season, earning a spot on varsity. By his senior year, Michael was averaging 26.8 points per game in his final high school season. After his success in high school, he went on to play college ball at North Carolina.

The Jordan Brand saw a similar come up in fact, MJ almost never signed on with Nike. But by offering to use Michaels input when designing their shoes, Nike closed the deal.

It wasnt smooth sailing yet, though. After designing the black and red Air Jordan I, the league banned the sneaker for violating uniform policy. But Nike and MJ werent about to let a dress code stop them from debuting Jordans signature sneaker. He wore them anyway, generating a $5,000 fine and nationwide buzz. Jordan was ready for takeoff.

In his first season, MJ averaged 28.2 points per game while wearing the Air Jordan Is, earning him the Rookie of the Year award. Jordan fever was starting. But after a dip in sales, the Jordan Brand needed something to take Air Jordan to next level. Thats when legendary Nike designer Tinker Hatfield entered the picture. His designs for the iconic Jordan Retro 3 began with ditching the swoosh and creating Jordans own logo: the Jumpman. Combine that with a visible Nike Air bubble in the heel and elephant print, and the Air Jordan III was an instant classic.

Throughout the rest of his career, Michael Jordan continued to inspire the world. Moments like The Flu Game, where he carried his team through the championship despite having the flu, or The Shot, his buzzer-beater jumper to clinch the title, launched Jordan into the future as a basketball hero for generations to come.

The Jordan Brand mirrored Michaels habit of greatness. The Air Jordan XI, with its patent leather sheen, became on of the most coveted sneakers of all time; inspired by MJs cat-like dexterity, the Air Jordan XIII is used on courts everywhere; the Air Jordan V is still a staple of streetwear.

After MJs retirement, the Jordan Brand was just getting started. With their sights set on the next sports legend, they signed All-Stars from a variety of disciplines, including Derek Jeter, Ray Allen, Randy Moss, Drake, Russell Westbrook, and Kawhi Leonard. But no matter who carries the torch, the Jordan Brand is determined to push the limits, redefine whats possible, and achieve greatness.

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Jordan, Arab country of Southwest Asia, in the rocky desert of the northern Arabian Peninsula.

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Jordan is a young state that occupies an ancient land, one that bears the traces of many civilizations. Separated from ancient Palestine by the Jordan River, the region played a prominent role in biblical history. The ancient biblical kingdoms of Moab, Gilead, and Edom lie within its borders, as does the famed red stone city of Petra, the capital of the Nabatean kingdom and of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea. British traveler Gertrude Bell said of Petra, It is like a fairy tale city, all pink and wonderful. Part of the Ottoman Empire until 1918 and later a mandate of the United Kingdom, Jordan has been an independent kingdom since 1946. It is among the most politically liberal countries of the Arab world, and, although it shares in the troubles affecting the region, its rulers have expressed a commitment to maintaining peace and stability.

The capital and largest city in the country is Ammannamed for the Ammonites, who made the city their capital in the 13th century bce. Amman was later a great city of Middle Eastern antiquity, Philadelphia, of the Roman Decapolis, and now serves as one of the regions principal commercial and transportation centres as well as one of the Arab worlds major cultural capitals.

Slightly smaller in area than the country of Portugal, Jordan is bounded to the north by Syria, to the east by Iraq, to the southeast and south by Saudi Arabia, and to the west by Israel and the West Bank. The West Bank area (so named because it lies just west of the Jordan River) was under Jordanian rule from 1948 to 1967, but in 1988 Jordan renounced its claims to the area. Jordan has 16 miles (26 km) of coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba in the southwest, where Al-Aqabah, its only port, is located.

Jordan has three major physiographic regions (from east to west): the desert, the uplands east of the Jordan River, and the Jordan Valley (the northwest portion of the great East African Rift System).

The desert region is mostly within the Syrian Desertan extension of the Arabian Desertand occupies the eastern and southern parts of the country, comprising more than four-fifths of its territory. The deserts northern part is composed of volcanic lava and basalt, and its southern part of outcrops of sandstone and granite. The landscape is much eroded, primarily by wind. The uplands east of the Jordan River, an escarpment overlooking the rift valley, have an average elevation of 2,0003,000 feet (600900 metres) and rise to about 5,755 feet (1,754 metres) at Mount Ramm, Jordans highest point, in the south. Outcrops of sandstone, chalk, limestone, and flint extend to the extreme south, where igneous rocks predominate.

The Jordan Valley drops to about 1,410 feet (430 metres) below sea level at the Dead Sea, the lowest natural point on Earths surface.

The Jordan River, approximately 186 miles (300 km) in length, meanders south, draining the waters of Lake Tiberias (better known as the Sea of Galilee), the Yarmk River, and the valley streams of both plateaus into the Dead Sea, which occupies the central area of the valley. The soil of its lower reaches is highly saline, and the shores of the Dead Sea consist of salt marshes that do not support vegetation. To its south, Wadi al-Arabah (also called Wadi al-Jayb), a completely desolate region, is thought to contain mineral resources.

Bridge over the Yarmk River destroyed in 1946, near the Jordan-Israel border.

In the northern uplands several valleys containing perennial streams run west; around Al-Karak they flow west, east, and north; south of Al-Karak intermittent valley streams run east toward Al-Jafr Depression.

The countrys best soils are found in the Jordan Valley and in the area southeast of the Dead Sea. The topsoil in both regions consists of alluviumdeposited by the Jordan River and washed from the uplands, respectivelywith the soil in the valley generally being deposited in fans spread over various grades of marl.

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Early NBA years (19841987)

The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick of the 1984 NBA draft after Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers). One of the primary reasons why Jordan was not drafted sooner was because the first two teams were in need of a center.[36] Trail Blazers general manager Stu Inman contended that it was not a matter of drafting a center but more a matter of taking Sam Bowie over Jordan, in part because Portland already had Clyde Drexler, who was a guard with similar skills to Jordan.[37] Citing Bowie's injury-laden college career, ESPN, named the Blazers' choice of Bowie as the worst draft pick in North American professional sports history.[38]

During his rookie season with the Bulls, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting,[28] and helped make a team that had won 35% of games in the previous three seasons playoff contenders. He quickly became a fan favorite even in opposing arenas.[39][40][41] Roy S. Johnson of The New York Times described him as "the phenomenal rookie of the Bulls" in November,[41] and Jordan appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the heading "A Star Is Born" in December.[42][43] The fans also voted in Jordan as an All-Star starter during his rookie season.[5] Controversy arose before the All-Star game when word surfaced that several veteran players, led by Isiah Thomas, were upset by the amount of attention Jordan was receiving.[5] This led to a so-called "freeze-out" on Jordan, where players refused to pass the ball to him throughout the game.[5] The controversy left Jordan relatively unaffected when he returned to regular season play, and he would go on to be voted the NBA Rookie of the Year.[44] The Bulls finished the season 3844,[45] and lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in four games in the First Round of the playoffs.[44]

An often-cited moment was on August 26, 1985,[19][46] when Jordan shook the arena during a Nike exhibition game in Trieste, Italy, by shattering the glass of the backboard with a dunk.[47][48] The moment was filmed and is often referred to worldwide as an important milestone in Jordan's rise.[48][49] The shoes Jordan wore during the game were auctioned in August 2020 and sold for $615,000, a record for a pair of sneakers.[50][51] Jordan's second season was cut short when he broke his foot in the third game of the year, causing him to miss 64 games.[52] The Bulls made the playoffs despite Jordan's injury and a 3052 record, at the time the fifth-worst record of any team to qualify for the playoffs in NBA history.[45][53] Jordan recovered in time to participate in the postseason and performed well upon his return. Against a 198586 Boston Celtics team that is often considered one of the greatest in NBA history,[54] Jordan set the still-unbroken record for points in a playoff game with 63 in Game 2;[55] however, the Celtics managed to sweep the series.[44]

Jordan completely recovered in time for the 198687 season,[56] and had one of the most prolific scoring seasons in NBA history; he became the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to score 3,000 points in a season, averaging a league-high 37.1 points on 48.2% shooting.[28][57] In addition, Jordan demonstrated his defensive prowess, as he became the first player in NBA history to record 200 steals and 100 blocked shots in a season.[58] Despite Jordan's success, Magic Johnson won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award.[59] The Bulls reached 40 wins,[45] and advanced to the playoffs for the third consecutive year; however, they were again swept by the Celtics.[44]

Jordan again led the league in scoring during the 198788 season, averaging 35.0 ppg on 53.5% shooting[28] and won his first league MVP Award. He was also named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, as he averaged 1.6 blocks and a league-high 3.1 steals per game.[60] The Bulls finished 5032,[45] and made it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in Jordan's career, as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games.[61] However, the Bulls lost in five games to the more experienced Detroit Pistons,[44] who were led by Isiah Thomas and a group of physical players known as the "Bad Boys".[62]

In the 198889 season, Jordan again led the league in scoring, averaging 32.5 ppg on 53.8% shooting from the field, along with 8 rpg and 8 apg.[28] During the season, Sam Vincent, Chicago's point guard, was having trouble running the offense, and Jordan expressed his frustration with head coach Doug Collins, who would put Jordan at point guard; in his time as a point guard, Jordan averaged 10 triple-doubles in eleven games, with 33.6 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 10.8 apg, 2.9 spg, and 0.8 bps on 51% shooting.[63]

The Bulls finished with a 4735 record,[45] and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating the Cavaliers and New York Knicks along the way.[64] The Cavaliers series included a career highlight for Jordan when he hit "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer in the fifth and final game of the series.[65] However, the Pistons again defeated the Bulls, this time in six games,[44] by utilizing their "Jordan Rules" method of guarding Jordan, which consisted of double and triple teaming him every time he touched the ball.[5]

The Bulls entered the 198990 season as a team on the rise, with their core group of Jordan and young improving players like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, and under the guidance of new coach Phil Jackson.[66] On March 28, 1990, Jordan scored a career-high 69 points in a 117113 road win over the Cavaliers.[67] He averaged a league-leading 33.6 ppg on 52.6% shooting, to go with 6.9 rpg and 6.3 apg,[28] in leading the Bulls to a 5527 record.[45] They again advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals after beating the Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers;[68] despite pushing the series to seven games, the Bulls lost to the Pistons for the third consecutive season.[44]

In the 199091 season, Jordan won his second MVP award after averaging 31.5 ppg on 53.9% shooting, 6.0 rpg, and 5.5 apg for the regular season.[28] The Bulls finished in first place in their division for the first time in sixteen years and set a franchise record with 61 wins in the regular season.[45] With Scottie Pippen developing into an All-Star, the Bulls had elevated their play. The Bulls defeated the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening two rounds of the playoffs. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals where their rival, the Detroit Pistons, awaited them;[69] this time, the Bulls beat the Pistons in a four-game sweep.[70]

The Bulls advanced to the Finals for the first time in franchise history to face the Los Angeles Lakers, who had Magic Johnson and James Worthy, two formidable opponents. The Bulls won the series four games to one, and compiled a 152 playoff record along the way.[69] Perhaps the best-known moment of the series came in Game 2 when, attempting a dunk, Jordan avoided a potential Sam Perkins block by switching the ball from his right hand to his left in mid-air to lay the shot into the basket.[71] In his first Finals appearance, Jordan posted per game averages of 31.2 points on 56% shooting from the field, 11.4 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and 1.4 blocks.[72] Jordan won his first NBA Finals MVP award,[73] and he cried while holding the Finals trophy.[74]

Jordan and the Bulls continued their dominance in the 199192 season, establishing a 6715 record, topping their franchise record from 1990 to 1991.[45] Jordan won his second consecutive MVP award with averages of 30.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game on 52% shooting.[60] After winning a physical seven-game series over the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs and finishing off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals in six games, the Bulls met Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in the Finals. The media, hoping to recreate a MagicBird rivalry, highlighted the similarities between "Air" Jordan and Clyde "The Glide" during the pre-Finals hype.[75]

In the first game, Jordan scored a Finals-record 35 points in the first half, including a record-setting six three-point field goals.[76] After the sixth three-pointer, he jogged down the court shrugging as he looked courtside. Marv Albert, who broadcast the game, later stated that it was as if Jordan was saying: "I can't believe I'm doing this."[77] The Bulls went on to win Game 1 and defeat the Blazers in six games. Jordan was named Finals MVP for the second year in a row[73] and finished the series averaging 35.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 6.5 apg, while shooting 52.6% from the floor.[78]

In the 199293 season, despite a 32.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 5.5 apg campaign, including a second-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting,[60][79] Jordan's streak of consecutive MVP seasons ended, as he lost the award to his friend Charles Barkley.[59] Coincidentally, Jordan and the Bulls met Barkley and his Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals. The Bulls won their third NBA championship on a game-winning shot by John Paxson and a last-second block by Horace Grant, but Jordan was once again Chicago's leader. He averaged a Finals-record 41.0 ppg during the six-game series,[80] and became the first player in NBA history to win three straight Finals MVP awards.[73] He scored more than 30 points in every game of the series, including 40 or more points in four consecutive games.[81] With his third Finals triumph, Jordan capped off a seven-year run where he attained seven scoring titles and three championships, but there were signs that Jordan was tiring of his massive celebrity and all of the non-basketball hassles in his life.[82]

During the Bulls' 1993 NBA playoffs, Jordan was seen gambling in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the night before a game against the New York Knicks.[83] The previous year, he admitted that he had to cover $57,000 in gambling losses,[84] and author Richard Esquinas wrote a book in 1993 claiming he had won $1.25million from Jordan on the golf course.[85] NBA commissioner David Stern denied in 1995 and 2006 that Jordan's 1993 retirement was a secret suspension by the league for gambling,[86][87] but the rumor spread widely.[88]

In 2005, Jordan discussed his gambling with Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes and admitted that he made reckless decisions. Jordan stated: "Yeah, I've gotten myself into situations where I would not walk away and I've pushed the envelope. Is that compulsive? Yeah, it depends on how you look at it. If you're willing to jeopardize your livelihood and your family, then yeah." When Bradley asked him if his gambling ever got to the level where it jeopardized his livelihood or family, Jordan replied: "No."[89] In 2010, Ron Shelton, director of Jordan Rides the Bus, said that he began working on the documentary believing that the NBA had suspended him, but that research "convinced [him it] was nonsense."[88]

On October 6, 1993, Jordan announced his retirement, saying that he lost his desire to play basketball. Jordan later said that the death of his father three months earlier helped shape his decision.[90] James Jordan was murdered on July 23, 1993, at a highway rest area in Lumberton, North Carolina, by two teenagers, Daniel Green and Larry Martin Demery, who carjacked his Lexus bearing the license plate "UNC 0023".[91][92] His body, dumped in a South Carolina swamp, was not discovered until August 3.[92] Green and Demery were found after they made calls on James Jordan's cell phone,[93] convicted at a trial, and sentenced to life in prison.[94]

Jordan was close to his father; as a child, he imitated the way his father stuck out his tongue while absorbed in work. He later adopted it as his own signature, often displaying it as he drove to the basket.[5] In 1996, he founded a Chicago-area Boys & Girls Club and dedicated it to his father.[95][96] In his 1998 autobiography For the Love of the Game, Jordan wrote that he was preparing for retirement as early as the summer of 1992.[97] The added exhaustion due to the Dream Team run in the 1992 Olympics solidified Jordan's feelings about the game and his ever-growing celebrity status. Jordan's announcement sent shock waves throughout the NBA and appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the world.[98]

Jordan further surprised the sports world by signing a Minor League Baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox on February 7, 1994.[99] He reported to spring training in Sarasota, Florida, and was assigned to the team's minor league system on March 31, 1994.[100] Jordan said that this decision was made to pursue the dream of his late father, who always envisioned his son as a Major League Baseball player.[101] The White Sox were owned by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who continued to honor Jordan's basketball contract during the years he played baseball.[102]

In 1994, Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, batting .202 with three home runs, 51 runs batted in, 30 stolen bases, 114 strikeouts, 51 bases on balls, and 11 errors.[103][104] He also appeared for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 1994 Arizona Fall League, batting .252 against the top prospects in baseball.[100] On November 1, 1994, his No. 23 was retired by the Bulls in a ceremony that included the erection of a permanent sculpture known as The Spirit outside the new United Center.[105][106][107]

In the 199394 season, the Bulls achieved a 5527 record without Jordan in the lineup,[45] and lost to the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs.[108] The 199495 Bulls were a shell of the championship team of just two years earlier. Struggling at mid-season to ensure a spot in the playoffs, Chicago was 3131 at one point in mid-March;[109] however, the team received help when Jordan decided to return to the Bulls.[110]

In March 1995, Jordan decided to quit baseball because he feared he might become a replacement player during the Major League Baseball strike.[111] On March 18, 1995, Jordan announced his return to the NBA through a two-word press release: "I'm back."[112] The next day, Jordan took to the court with the Bulls to face the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, scoring 19 points.[113] The game had the highest Nielsen rating of any regular season NBA game since 1975.[114] Although he could have worn his original number even though the Bulls retired it, Jordan wore No. 45, his baseball number.[113]

Despite his eighteen-month hiatus from the NBA, Jordan played well, making a game-winning jump shot against Atlanta in his fourth game back. He scored 55 points in his next game, against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 28, 1995.[44] Boosted by Jordan's comeback, the Bulls went 134 to make the playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Orlando Magic.[115] At the end of Game 1, Orlando's Nick Anderson stripped Jordan from behind, leading to the game-winning basket for the Magic; he would later comment that Jordan "didn't look like the old Michael Jordan"[116] and that "No. 45 doesn't explode like No. 23 used to."[117]

Jordan responded by scoring 38 points in the next game, which Chicago won. Before the game, Jordan decided that he would immediately resume wearing his former No. 23. The Bulls were fined $25,000 for failing to report the impromptu number change to the NBA.[117] Jordan was fined an additional $5,000 for opting to wear white sneakers when the rest of the Bulls wore black.[118] He averaged 31 points per game in the playoffs, but Orlando won the series in six games.[115]

Jordan was freshly motivated by the playoff defeat, and he trained aggressively for the 199596 season.[119] The Bulls were strengthened by the addition of rebound specialist Dennis Rodman, and the team dominated the league, starting the season at 413.[120] The Bulls eventually finished with the best regular season record in NBA history, 7210, a mark broken two decades later by the 201516 Golden State Warriors.[121] Jordan led the league in scoring with 30.4 ppg,[122] and he won the league's regular season and All-Star Game MVP awards.[32]

In the playoffs, the Bulls lost only three games in four series (Miami Heat 30, New York Knicks 41, and Orlando Magic 40), as they defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 42 in the NBA Finals to win their fourth championship.[120] Jordan was named Finals MVP for a record fourth time, surpassing Magic Johnson's three Finals MVP awards;[73] he also achieved only the second sweep of the MVP awards in the All-Star Game, regular season, and NBA Finals after Willis Reed in the 196970 season.[44] Upon winning the championship, his first since his father's murder, Jordan reacted emotionally, clutching the game ball and crying on the locker room floor.[5][74]

In the 199697 season, the Bulls started out 6911 but missed out on a second consecutive 70-win season by losing their final two games to finish 6913.[123] The Bulls again advanced to the Finals, where they faced Karl Malone's Utah Jazz who had beaten Jordan for the NBA MVP award in a tight race (986957).[124][125][126] The series against the Jazz featured two of the more memorable clutch moments of Jordan's career. He won Game 1 for the Bulls with a buzzer-beating jump shot. In Game 5, with the series tied at 2, Jordan played despite being feverish and dehydrated from a stomach virus. In what is known as the "Flu Game", Jordan scored 38 points, including the game-deciding 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining.[127] The Bulls won 9088 and went on to win the series in six games.[123] For the fifth time in as many Finals appearances, Jordan received the Finals MVP award.[73] During the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, Jordan posted the first triple double in All-Star Game history in a victorious effort; however, he did not receive the MVP award.[128]

Jordan and the Bulls compiled a 6220 record in the 199798 season.[45] Jordan led the league with 28.7 points per game,[60] securing his fifth regular season MVP award, plus honors for All-NBA First Team, First Defensive Team, and the All-Star Game MVP.[32] The Bulls won the Eastern Conference Championship for a third straight season, including surviving a seven-game series with the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals; it was the first time Jordan had played in a Game 7 since the 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals with the Knicks.[129][130] After winning, they moved on for a rematch with the Jazz in the Finals.[131]

The Bulls returned to the Delta Center for Game 6 on June 14, 1998, leading the series 32. Jordan executed a series of plays, considered to be one of the greatest clutch performances in NBA Finals history.[132] With 41.9 seconds remaining and the Bulls trailing 8683, Phil Jackson called a timeout. When play resumed, Jordan received the inbound pass, drove to the basket, and sank a shot over several Jazz defenders, cutting Utah's lead to 8685.[132] The Jazz brought the ball upcourt and passed the ball to Malone, who was set up in the low post and was being guarded by Rodman. Malone jostled with Rodman and caught the pass, but Jordan cut behind him and stole the ball out of his hands.[132]

Jordan then dribbled down the court and paused, eyeing his defender, Jazz guard Bryon Russell. With 10 seconds remaining, Jordan started to dribble right, then crossed over to his left, possibly pushing off Russell, although the officials did not call a foul.[133][134][135] With 5.2 seconds left, Jordan made the climactic shot of his Bulls career, giving Chicago an 8786 lead with a jumper over Russell.[136] Afterwards, the Jazz' John Stockton narrowly missed a game-winning three-pointer, and the buzzer sounded as Jordan and the Bulls won their sixth NBA championship,[137] achieving a second three-peat in the decade.[138] Once again, Jordan was voted Finals MVP,[73] having led all scorers by averaging 33.5 points per game, including 45 in the deciding Game 6.[139] Jordan's six Finals MVPs is a record; LeBron James is in second place with four.[140] The 1998 Finals holds the highest television rating of any Finals series in history; Game 6 also holds the highest television rating of any game in NBA history.[141][142]

With Phil Jackson's contract expiring, the pending departures of Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman looming, and being in the latter stages of an owner-induced lockout of NBA players, Jordan retired for the second time on January 13, 1999.[143][144][145] On January 19, 2000, Jordan returned to the NBA not as a player but as part owner and president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards.[146] Jordan's responsibilities with the Wizards were comprehensive, as he controlled all aspects of the Wizards' basketball operations, and had the final say in all personnel matters; opinions of Jordan as a basketball executive were mixed.[147][148] He managed to purge the team of several highly paid, unpopular players (such as forward Juwan Howard and point guard Rod Strickland)[149][150] but used the first pick in the 2001 NBA draft to select high schooler Kwame Brown, who did not live up to expectations and was traded away after four seasons.[147][151]

Despite his January 1999 claim that he was "99.9% certain" that he would never play another NBA game,[74] in the summer of 2001 Jordan expressed interest in making another comeback, this time with his new team.[152][153] Inspired by the NHL comeback of his friend Mario Lemieux the previous winter,[154] Jordan spent much of the spring and summer of 2001 in training, holding several invitation-only camps for NBA players in Chicago.[155] In addition, Jordan hired his old Chicago Bulls head coach, Doug Collins, as Washington's coach for the upcoming season, a decision that many saw as foreshadowing another Jordan return.[152][153]

On September 25, 2001, Jordan announced his return to the NBA to play for the Washington Wizards, indicating his intention to donate his salary as a player to a relief effort for the victims of the September 11 attacks.[156][157] In an injury-plagued 200102 season, Jordan led the team in scoring (22.9 ppg), assists (5.2 apg), and steals (1.42 spg),[5] and was an MVP candidate, as he led the Wizards to a winning record and playoff contention;[158][159] he would eventually finish 13th in the MVP ballot.[160] Torn cartilage in his right knee suffered on February 7 against the Sacramento Kings, and its aftermath knee soreness[161] and losing streak moved the Wizards away from playoff contention, and Jordan's season ended after only 60 games, the fewest he had played in a regular season since playing 17 games after returning from his first retirement during the 199495 season.[28] Jordan started 53 of his 60 games for the season, averaging 24.3 points, 5.4 assists, and 6.0 rebounds, and shooting 41.9% from the field in his 53 starts. His last seven appearances were in a reserve role, in which he averaged just over 20 minutes per game.[162] The Wizards finished the season with a 3745 record, sitting 10th in the East, an 18-game improvement.[160]

Playing in his 14th and final NBA All-Star Game in 2003, Jordan passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in All-Star Game history, a record since broken by Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.[163][164] That year, Jordan was the only Washington player to play in all 82 games, starting in 67 of them, and coming off from the bench in the first 15, as he was still recovering from knee injury. He averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.[5] He also shot 45% from the field, and 82% from the free-throw line.[28] Even though he turned 40 during the season, he scored 20 or more points 42 times, 30 or more points nine times, and 40 or more points three times.[44] On February 21, 2003, Jordan became the first 40-year-old to tally 43 points in an NBA game.[165] During his stint with the Wizards, all of Jordan's home games at the MCI Center were sold out, and the Wizards were the second most-watched team in the NBA, averaging 20,172 fans a game at home and 19,311 on the road.[166] However, neither of Jordan's final two seasons resulted in a playoff appearance for the Wizards, and Jordan was often unsatisfied with the play of those around him.[167][168] At several points, he openly criticized his teammates to the media, citing their lack of focus and intensity, notably that of Kwame Brown, the number-one draft pick in the 2001 NBA draft.[167][168]

With the recognition that 200203 would be Jordan's final season, tributes were paid to him throughout the NBA. In his final game at the United Center in Chicago, which was his old home court, Jordan received a four-minute standing ovation.[169] The Miami Heat retired the No. 23 jersey on April 11, 2003, even though Jordan never played for the team.[170] At the 2003 All-Star Game, Jordan was offered a starting spot from Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson but refused both;[171] in the end, he accepted the spot of Vince Carter.[172] Jordan played in his final NBA game on April 16, 2003, in Philadelphia. After scoring 13 points in the game, Jordan went to the bench with 4 minutes and 13 seconds remaining in the third quarter and his team trailing the Philadelphia 76ers 7556. Just after the start of the fourth quarter, the First Union Center crowd began chanting "We want Mike!" After much encouragement from coach Doug Collins, Jordan finally rose from the bench and re-entered the game, replacing Larry Hughes with 2:35 remaining. At 1:45, Jordan was intentionally fouled by the 76ers' Eric Snow, and stepped to the line to make both free throws. After the second foul shot, the 76ers in-bounded the ball to rookie John Salmons, who in turn was intentionally fouled by Bobby Simmons one second later, stopping time so that Jordan could return to the bench. Jordan received a three-minute standing ovation from his teammates, his opponents, the officials, and the crowd of 21,257 fans.[173]

Jordan was a shooting guard who could also play as a small forward (the position he would primarily play during his second return to professional basketball with the Washington Wizards),[32] and as a point guard.[63] Jordan was known throughout his career as a strong clutch performer. With the Bulls, he decided 25 games with field goals or free throws in the last 30 seconds, including two NBA Finals games and five other playoff contests.[179] His competitiveness was visible in his prolific trash-talk[180] and well-known work ethic.[181][182] Jordan often used perceived slights to fuel his performances. Sportswriter Wright Thompson described him as "a killer, in the Darwinian sense of the word, immediately sensing and attacking someone's weakest spot."[3] As the Bulls organization built the franchise around Jordan, management had to trade away players who were not "tough enough" to compete with him in practice. To help improve his defense, he spent extra hours studying film of opponents. On offense, he relied more upon instinct and improvization at game time.[183]

Noted as a durable player, Jordan did not miss four or more games while active for a full season from 198687 to 200102, when he injured his right knee.[32][184] Of the 15 seasons Jordan was in the NBA, he played all 82 regular season games nine times.[32] Jordan has frequently cited David Thompson, Walter Davis, and Jerry West as influences.[185][186] Confirmed at the start of his career, and possibly later on, Jordan had a special "Love of the Game Clause" written into his contract, which was unusual at the time, and allowed him to play basketball against anyone at any time, anywhere.[187]

Jordan had a versatile offensive game and was capable of aggressively driving to the basket as well as drawing fouls from his opponents at a high rate; his 8,772 free throw attempts are the 11th-highest total in NBA history.[188] As his career progressed, Jordan also developed the ability to post up his opponents and score with his trademark fadeaway jump shot, using his leaping ability to "fade away" from block attempts. According to Hubie Brown, this move alone made him nearly unstoppable.[189] Despite media criticism as a "selfish" player early in his career, Jordan was willing to defer to this teammates, with a career average of 5.3 assists per game and a season-high of 8 assists per game.[28] For a guard, Jordan was also a good rebounder, and he was one of the best defenders, finishing with 6.2 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game.[28]

Three-point field goal was not Jordan's strength, especially in his early years, whose 16% shooting (5-for-30) in the 1990 Three-Point Contest gave him the worst percentage of points ever in that competition;[190] nonetheless, he improved three-point shooting and finished his career with a respectable 32% shooting. After shooting under 30% from three-point range in his first five seasons in the NBA, including a career-low 13% in the 198788 season, Jordan improved to a career-high 50% in the 199495 season.[28] The three-point shot became more of a focus of his game from 199495 to 199697, when the NBA shortened its three-point line from 23ft 9in (7.24m) to 22ft (6.7m).[191] His three-point field-goal percentages ranged from 35% to 43% in seasons in which he attempted at least 230 three-pointers between 198990 and 199697.[32] Jordan's effective field goal percentage was 50%, and he had six seasons with at least 50% shooting, five of which consecutively (19881992); he also shot 51% and 50%, and 30% and 33% from the three-point range, throughout his first and second retirements, respectively, finishing his career with 49% shooting.[32]

Unlike NBA players such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, often compared to Jordan and who had a similar three-point percentage, he did not shoot as much as them, as he did not need it to be an offensive menace; three-point shooting was only introduced in 1979 and would not be a more fundamental aspect of the game until the first decades of the 21st century, with the NBA having to briefly shorten the line to incentivize more shots.[191] Jordan's three-point shooting was better selected, resulting in three-point field goals made in important games during the playoffs and the Finals, such as hitting six consecutive three-point shots in Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals. Jordan shot 37%, 35%, 42%, and 37% in all the seasons he shot over 200 three-pointers, and also shot 38.5%, 38.6%, 38.9%, 40.3%, 19.4%, and 30.2% in the playoffs during his championship runs, improving his shooting even after the three-point line was reverted to the original line.[192][193][194][195]

In 1988, Jordan was honored with the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and became the first NBA player to win both the Defensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in a career. In addition, he set both seasonal and career records for blocked shots by a guard,[196] and combined this with his ball-thieving ability to become a standout defensive player. He ranks third in NBA history in total steals with 2,514, trailing John Stockton and Jason Kidd.[197] Jerry West often stated that he was more impressed with Jordan's defensive contributions than his offensive ones.[198] Doc Rivers declared Jordan "the best superstar defender in the history of the game."[199]

Jordan was known to have strong eyesight; broadcaster Al Michaels said that he was able to read baseball box scores on a 27-inch (69cm) television clearly from about 50 feet (15m) away.[200] During the 2001 NBA Finals, Phil Jackson compared Jordan's dominance to Shaquille O'Neal, stating that "Michael would get fouled on every play and still have to play through it and just clear himself for shots instead and would rise to that occasion."[201]

Jordan's talent was clear from his first NBA season; by November 1984, he was being compared to Julius Erving.[39][41] Larry Bird said that rookie Jordan was the best player he ever saw, and that he was "one of a kind", and comparable to Wayne Gretzky as an athlete.[202] In his first game in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, Jordan received a near minute-long standing ovation.[41] After establishing the single game playoff record of 63 points against the Boston Celtics on April 20, 1986, Bird described him as "God disguised as Michael Jordan."[55]

Jordan led the NBA in scoring in 10 seasons (NBA record) and tied Wilt Chamberlain's record of seven consecutive scoring titles.[5] He was also a fixture of the NBA All-Defensive First Team, making the roster nine times (NBA record shared with Gary Payton, Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant).[203] Jordan also holds the top career regular season and playoff scoring averages of 30.1 and 33.4 points per game, respectively.[204] By 1998, the season of his Finals-winning shot against the Jazz, he was well known throughout the league as a clutch performer. In the regular season, Jordan was the Bulls' primary threat in the final seconds of a close game and in the playoffs; he would always ask for the ball at crunch time.[205] Jordan's total of 5,987 points in the playoffs is the second-highest in NBA history.[206] He retired with 32,292 points in regular season play,[207] placing him fifth on the NBA's all-time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant.[207]

With five regular season MVPs (tied for second place with Bill Russellonly Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has won more, with six), six Finals MVPs (NBA record), and three All-Star Game MVPs, Jordan is the most decorated player in NBA history.[32][208] Jordan finished among the top three in regular season MVP voting 10 times,[32] and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.[209] He is one of only seven players in history to win an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal (doing so twice with the 1984 and 1992 U.S. men's basketball teams).[210] Since 1976, the year of the NBA's merger with the American Basketball Association,[211] Jordan and Pippen are the only two players to win six NBA Finals playing for one team.[212] In the All-Star Game fan ballot, Jordan received the most votes nine times, more than any other player.[213]

Many of Jordan's contemporaries have said that Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.[198] In 1999, an ESPN survey of journalists, athletes and other sports figures ranked Jordan the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century, above Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali.[214] Jordan placed second to Babe Ruth in the Associated Press' December 1999 list of 20th century athletes.[215] In addition, the Associated Press voted him the greatest basketball player of the 20th century.[216] Jordan has also appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated a record 50 times.[217] In the September 1996 issue of Sport, which was the publication's 50th-anniversary issue, Jordan was named the greatest athlete of the past 50 years.[218]

Jordan's athletic leaping ability, highlighted in his back-to-back Slam Dunk Contest championships in 1987 and 1988, is credited by many people with having influenced a generation of young players.[219][220] Several NBA players, including LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, have stated that they considered Jordan their role model while they were growing up.[221][222] In addition, commentators have dubbed a number of next-generation players "the next Michael Jordan" upon their entry to the NBA, including Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, Allen Iverson, Bryant, Vince Carter, James, and Wade.[223][224][225] Some analyists, such as The Ringer's Dan Devine, drew parallels between Jordan's experiment at point guard in the 198889 season and modern NBA; for Devine, it "inadvertently foreshadowed the modern game's stylistic shift toward monster-usage primary playmakers", such as Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Luka Doni, and LeBron James.[226] Don Nelson stated: "I would've been playing him at point guard the day he showed up as a rookie."[227]

Although Jordan was a well-rounded player, his "Air Jordan" image is also often credited with inadvertently decreasing the jump shooting skills, defense, and fundamentals of young players,[219] a fact Jordan himself has lamented: "I think it was the exposure of Michael Jordan; the marketing of Michael Jordan. Everything was marketed towards the things that people wanted to see, which was scoring and dunking. That Michael Jordan still played defense and an all-around game, but it was never really publicized."[219] During his heyday, Jordan did much to increase the status of the game; television ratings increased only during his time in the league.[228] The popularity of the NBA in the U.S. declined after his last title.[228] As late as 2020, Finals ratings had not returned to the level reached during his last championship-winning season.[229]

In August 2009, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, opened a Michael Jordan exhibit that contained items from his college and NBA careers as well as from the 1992 "Dream Team"; the exhibit also has a batting glove to signify Jordan's short career in Minor League Baseball.[230] After Jordan received word of his acceptance into the Hall of Fame, he selected Class of 1996 member David Thompson to present him.[231] As Jordan would later explain during his induction speech in September 2009, when he was growing up in North Carolina, he was not a fan of the Tar Heels and greatly admired Thompson, who played at rival North Carolina State. In September, he was inducted into the Hall with several former Bulls teammates in attendance, including Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Charles Oakley, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, and Toni Kuko.[232] Two of Jordan's former coaches, Dean Smith and Doug Collins, were also among those present. His emotional reaction during his speechwhen he began to crywas captured by Associated Press photographer Stephan Savoia and would later go viral on social media as the Crying Jordan Internet meme.[233][234] In 2016, President Barack Obama honored Jordan with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[235]

Jordan is one of the most marketed sports figures in history. He has been a major spokesman for such brands as Nike, Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, Gatorade, McDonald's, Ball Park Franks, Rayovac, Wheaties, Hanes, and MCI.[304] Jordan has had a long relationship with Gatorade, appearing in over 20 commercials for the company since 1991, including the "Be Like Mike" commercials in which a song was sung by children wishing to be like Jordan.[304][305]

Nike created a signature shoe for Jordan, called the Air Jordan, in 1984.[306] One of Jordan's more popular commercials for the shoe involved Spike Lee playing the part of Mars Blackmon. In the commercials, Lee, as Blackmon, attempted to find the source of Jordan's abilities and became convinced that "it's gotta be the shoes".[304] The hype and demand for the shoes even brought on a spate of "shoe-jackings" where people were robbed of their sneakers at gunpoint. Subsequently, Nike spun off the Jordan line into its own division named the "Jordan Brand". The company features an impressive list of athletes and celebrities as endorsers.[307][308] The brand has also sponsored college sports programs such as those of North Carolina, California, Georgetown, and Marquette.[309]

Jordan also has been associated with the Looney Tunes cartoon characters. A Nike commercial shown during 1992's Super Bowl XXVI featured Jordan and Bugs Bunny playing basketball.[310] The Super Bowl commercial inspired the 1996 live action/animated film Space Jam, which starred Jordan and Bugs in a fictional story set during the former's first retirement from basketball.[311] They have subsequently appeared together in several commercials for MCI.[311] Jordan also made an appearance in the music video for Michael Jackson's "Jam" (1992).[312]

Jordan's yearly income from the endorsements is estimated to be over $40 million.[313][314] In addition, when Jordan's power at the ticket gates was at its highest point, the Bulls regularly sold out both their home and road games.[315] Due to this, Jordan set records in player salary by signing annual contracts worth in excess of US$30million per season.[316] An academic study found that Jordan's first NBA comeback resulted in an increase in the market capitalization of his client firms of more than $1billion.[317]

Most of Jordan's endorsement deals, including his first deal with Nike, were engineered by his agent, David Falk.[318] Jordan has described Falk as "the best at what he does" and that "marketing-wise, he's great. He's the one who came up with the concept of 'Air Jordan.'"[319]

In June 2010, Jordan was ranked by Forbes magazine as the 20th-most powerful celebrity in the world with $55million earned between June 2009 and June 2010. According to the Forbes article, Jordan Brand generates $1billion in sales for Nike.[320] In June 2014, Jordan was named the first NBA player to become a billionaire, after he increased his stake in the Charlotte Hornets from 80% to 89.5%.[321][322] On January 20, 2015, Jordan was honored with the Charlotte Business Journal's Business Person of the Year for 2014.[323] In 2017, he became a part owner of the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball.[324]

Forbes designated Jordan as the athlete with the highest career earnings in 2017.[325] From his Jordan Brand income and endorsements, Jordan's 2015 income was an estimated $110million, the most of any retired athlete.[326] As of 2020[update], his net worth is estimated at $2.1billion by Forbes,[327] making him the fourth-richest African-American, behind Robert F. Smith, David Steward, and Oprah Winfrey.[328]

Jordan co-owns an automotive group which bears his name. The company has a Nissan dealership in Durham, North Carolina, acquired in 1990,[329] and formerly had a LincolnMercury dealership from 1995 until its closure in June 2009.[330][331] The company also owned a Nissan franchise in Glen Burnie, Maryland.[330] The restaurant industry is another business interest of Jordan's. His restaurants include a steakhouse in New York City's Grand Central Terminal, among others.[332] Jordan is the majority investor in a golf course, Grove XXIII, under construction in Hobe Sound, Florida.[333]

In September 2020, Jordan became an investor and advisor for DraftKings.[334]

From 2001 to 2014, Jordan hosted an annual golf tournament, the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational, that raised money for various charities.[335] In 2006, Jordan and his wife Juanita pledged $5million to Chicago's Hales Franciscan High School.[336] The Jordan Brand has made donations to Habitat for Humanity and a Louisiana branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.[337]

The Make-A-Wish Foundation named Jordan its Chief Wish Ambassador in 2008.[335] In 2013, he granted his 200th wish for the organization.[338] As of 2019, he has raised more than $5million for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.[335]

In 2015, Jordan donated a settlement of undisclosed size from a lawsuit against supermarkets that had used his name without permission to 23 different Chicago charities.[339] In 2017, Jordan funded two Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Clinics in Charlotte, North Carolina, by giving $7million, the biggest donation he had made at the time.[340] In 2018, after Hurricane Florence damaged parts of North Carolina, including his former hometown of Wilmington, Jordan donated $2million to relief efforts.[341] He gave $1million to aid the Bahamas' recovery following Hurricane Dorian in 2019.[342]

On June 5, 2020, in the wake of the protests following the murder of George Floyd, Jordan and his brand announced in a joint statement that they would be donating $100million over the next 10 years to organizations dedicated to "ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education."[343]

Jordan played himself in the 1996 comedy film Space Jam. The film received mixed reviews,[344] but it was a box office success, making $230million worldwide, and earned more than $1billion through merchandise sales.[345]

In 2000, Jordan was the subject of an IMAX documentary about his career with the Chicago Bulls, especially the 1998 championship season, entitled Michael Jordan to the Max.[346] Two decades later, the same period of Jordan's life was covered in much greater and more personal detail by the Emmy Award-winning The Last Dance, a 10-part TV documentary which debuted on ESPN in April and May 2020. The Last Dance relied heavily on about 500 hours of candid film of Jordan's and his teammates' off-court activities which an NBA Entertainment crew had shot over the course of the 199798 NBA season for use in a documentary. The project was delayed for many years because Jordan had not yet given his permission for the footage to be used.[347][348] He was interviewed at three homes associated with the production and did not want cameras in his home or on his plane as "there are certain aspects of his life that he wants to keep private", according to director Jason Hehir.[349] Jordan granted rapper Travis Scott permission to film a music video for his single "Franchise" at his home in Highland Park, Illinois, "without hesitation."[350]

Jordan has authored several books focusing on his life, basketball career, and world view.

Originally posted here:

Michael Jordan - Wikipedia