Arab Federation of Iraq and Jordan | ||||||||||||||
الاتحاد العربي al-Ittiḥād al-‘Arabī ئارەب فێدەرێيشەن irab-fydharashun |
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Capital | Baghdad | |||||||||||||
Languages | Arabic | |||||||||||||
Religion | Majority Islam (Sunni and Shi'a), minorities Christianity and others. | |||||||||||||
Government | Confederal monarchy | |||||||||||||
King | ||||||||||||||
• | 1958 | Faisal II | ||||||||||||
Historical era | Cold War | |||||||||||||
• | Established | 1958 | ||||||||||||
• | Coup d'état | 14 July 1958 | ||||||||||||
• | Disestablished | 2 August 1958 | ||||||||||||
Area | ||||||||||||||
• | 1958 | 527,659 km² (203,730 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
Population | ||||||||||||||
• | 1958 est. | 12,434,000 | ||||||||||||
Density | 23.6 /km² (61 /sq mi) | |||||||||||||
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Today part of |
Iraq Jordan West Bank |
The Arab Federation of Iraq and Jordan was a short-lived country that was formed in 1958 from the union of Iraq and Jordan. Although the name implies a federal structure, it was de facto a confederation.
The Federation was formed on 14 February 1958, when King Faisal II of Iraq and his cousin, King Hussein of Jordan, sought to unite their two Hashemite kingdoms, as a response to the formation of the United Arab Republic. The union lasted only six months, being officially dissolved on 2 August 1958, after Faisal was deposed by a military coup on 14 July.
From the 1930s on the Hashemite dynasty tried to promote Arab unity, as witnessed by the efforts of Iraq and Jordan to unite at three different times. "From the Iraqi perspective, Jordan had little to offer, either economically or strategically, to counterbalance its numerous liabilities". The liabilities included Jordanian King Abdullah's moderation on the Arab–Israeli conflict, his installation by Britain and the unstable relationship between Abdullah and his nephew, Iraqi regent, 'Abd al-Ilah. Regardless of the issues, the two countries first attempted unification in 1946 and 1947 and was introduced by King Abdallah "Stemming from his renewed promotion of the Greater Syria Scheme". The second time was in 1951 and 1952 and resulted from the attempt to rescue Jordan and the Hashemite control after Abdullah was assassinated.