Declassified 1982 Jordan Water Development Map Created By The CIA
This 1982 CIA map of the Jordan River focuses on competing water development projects and regional control of water resources involving Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
Rather than emphasizing politics alone, the map shows how strategic access to rivers, tributaries, dams, and canals shaped regional tensions.
The map traces the upper Jordan basin, including the Hasbani, Banias, and Dan rivers, which are critical headwaters feeding into the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias).
It highlights proposed Israeli, Lebanese, and Syrian diversion projects, along with existing infrastructure such as Israel’s National Water Carrier and Jordan’s East Ghor Canal.
The red dashed outline marks the basin of the upper Jordan watershed, emphasizing how snowmelt from Mount Hermon and seasonal rainfall supplied water to multiple states.
The map also shows the disputed and militarized geography of the region, including the Golan Heights, demilitarized zones, cease-fire lines, and UN-monitored areas.
Produced in 1982, the map reflects a period when water security was considered a major geopolitical issue in the Middle East.
Control of water resources had already contributed to tensions before the Six-Day War, and by the early 1980s the issue remained deeply connected to military strategy, agriculture, settlement policy, and regional diplomacy.
Unlike many Cold War CIA maps focused purely on military forces, this one demonstrates the Agency’s growing interest in environmental and infrastructure intelligence.
Water availability was recognized as a strategic resource capable of influencing economic development, population growth, and political stability.
The map’s detailed hydrological and topographic presentation also shows how CIA cartographers combined physical geography with political boundaries to explain complex regional disputes in a clear visual format for policymakers and analysts.
More Declassified 1980s CIA Maps:
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