Al-Zarqa
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Zarqa / The Blue City الزرقاء |
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| City | |||||
Clockwise from top:
Jabal Tariq, The Zarqa Chamber of Commerce, view from the train |
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 Zarqa / The Blue City
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| Coordinates: 32°05′N 36°06′E / 32.083°N 36.100°ECoordinates: 32°05′N 36°06′E / 32.083°N 36.100°E | |||||
| Country |
 Jordan
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| Governorate | Zarqa Governorate | ||||
| Settled | 1902 | ||||
| Municipality | 1929 | ||||
| Government | |||||
| • Type | Municipality | ||||
| • Mayor | Muhammed Al-Gweri | ||||
| Area | |||||
| • Total | 60 km2 (20 sq mi) | ||||
| Elevation | 619 m (2,031 ft) | ||||
| Population (2011) | |||||
| • Total | 481,300 | ||||
| • Density | 8,000/km2 (21,000/sq mi) | ||||
| Time zone | +2 | ||||
| • Summer (DST) | +3 (UTC) | ||||
| Area code(s) | +(962)5 | ||||
The Blue City or Az-Zarqā (Arabic: الزرقاء; English The Blue City BGN: Az Zarqāʼ; local pronunciation ez-Zergā, ez-Zer'a, or ez-Zarka) is the capital of Zarqa Governorate in Jordan. Its name means "the blue city".
Zarqa is located in the Zarqa River basin in northeast Jordan.
The city is situated 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Amman.
Although inhabited since the 1st century, the city of Zarqa was established by immigrants from the Caspian Sea region at the beginning of the 20th century. The first settlement in the city was established in 1902 by Chechen immigrants who were displaced from the wars between the Ottoman and Russian Empires. They settled along the Zarqa River. At that time a station on the Hejaz Railway was built in the new settlement. The railway station turned Zarqa into an important hub. On 10 April 1905, the Ottoman governor issued a decree that allowed the Chechen immigrants to own lands which they settled on. The population then quickly grew in size. On 18 November 1928, the new Jordanian government issued a decree to establish the first municipal council for Zarqa.
After the Transjordan Frontier Force was formed in 1926, military bases were constructed in the city by the British Army and the city later became known as the "military city". The headquarters of Jordan's Arab Legion was in Zarqa.
With an estimated metropolitan population of about 700,000 in 2010, Zarqa has the third largest metropolitan population in Jordan after Amman and Irbid, whilst the city of Zarqa has the second largest population after Amman with a population of about 500,000.
The city of Zarqa is divided into five districts that all together have an area of about 60 km2 (23 sq mi) and another two districts within the radius of influence of the city.
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Wikipedia