Winston's Hiccup
Encyclopedia
Winston's Hiccup or Churchill's Sneeze is the huge zigzag in Jordan
's eastern border with Saudi Arabia
, supposedly because Winston Churchill
drew the boundary of Transjordan
after a generous and lengthy lunch.
, Iraq and Saudi Arabia do not generally hamper tribal nomads in their movements, although for a few tribes, the borders do technically separate them from traditional grazing areas. Conversely, the border between Jordan and Israel
is governed more heavily. Officially, the borders were set by a series of agreements between the United Kingdom
and the government of what eventually became Saudi Arabia, first formally defined in the Hadda Agreement of 1925. In 1965 Jordan and Saudi Arabia concluded a bilateral agreement that realigned and defined the boundary. The realignment resulted in some exchange of territory, and Jordan's coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba
was lengthened by about eighteen kilometers.
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
's eastern border with Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, supposedly because Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
drew the boundary of Transjordan
Transjordan
The Emirate of Transjordan was a former Ottoman territory in the Southern Levant that was part of the British Mandate of Palestine...
after a generous and lengthy lunch.
In modern times
In the modern era, Jordan's boundaries with SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Iraq and Saudi Arabia do not generally hamper tribal nomads in their movements, although for a few tribes, the borders do technically separate them from traditional grazing areas. Conversely, the border between Jordan and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
is governed more heavily. Officially, the borders were set by a series of agreements between the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the government of what eventually became Saudi Arabia, first formally defined in the Hadda Agreement of 1925. In 1965 Jordan and Saudi Arabia concluded a bilateral agreement that realigned and defined the boundary. The realignment resulted in some exchange of territory, and Jordan's coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba
Gulf of Aqaba
The Gulf of Aqaba is a large gulf located at the northern tip of the Red Sea. In pre twentieth-century and modern sources it is often named the Gulf of Eilat, as Eilat is its predominant Israeli city ....
was lengthened by about eighteen kilometers.
See also
- Geography of Saudi ArabiaGeography of Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia is a country situated in Southwest Asia, the largest country of Arabia, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen. Its extensive coastlines on the Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping through the Persian Gulf and Suez Canal. The kingdom occupies...
- Geography of JordanGeography of JordanJordan is situated geographically in Southwest Asia, south of Syria, west of Iraq northwest of Saudi Arabia and east of Israel and the West Bank; politically, the area has also been referred to in the West as the Middle or Near East. The territory of Jordan now covers about 91,880 square kilometers...
- British Mandate of Palestine
- Amman GovernorateAmman GovernorateOfficially known as Muhafazat al-Asima , Amman Governorate is one of the governorates - locally known as muhafazat - in Jordan. This governorate's capital is the City of Amman, It is also Jordan's capital...
- Zarqa GovernorateZarqa GovernorateZarqa Governorate is the third largest governorate in Jordan by population. The capital of Zarqa governorate is Zarqa City, which is the largest city in the governorate. It is located 25 km east of the Jordanian capital Amman...
- Al Jawf ProvinceAl Jawf ProvinceAl-Jawf , also spelled Al-Jouf, is a province of Saudi Arabia, located in the north of the country, bordering Jordan. It has an area of 100,212 km² and a population of 440,009 at the 2010 Census...
- Al HarrahAl HarrahAl Harrah is a large basaltic volcanic field in northwestern Saudi Arabia near the Jordanian border. It covers an area of 15,200 km2. The volcanic field forms the southern third of the massive Harrat Ash Shamah volcanic field, which extends from Syria through Jordan into northern Saudi...
- AzraqAzraq (Jordan)Azraq is a small town in the province of Zarqa Governorate in central-eastern Jordan, 100 km east of Amman. The population of Azraq was 9021 persons in 2004.- History :...