A country of southwest Asia in northwest Arabia. Inhabited in ancient times by various Semitic peoples such as the Moabites and the Nabataeans, the area was conquered by the Romans (first century AD), Arabs (seventh century), and Ottoman Turks, who held it from 1516 until World War I. As Transjordan the country became part of the British mandate of Palestine in 1920, gaining independence in 1946. It was renamed Jordan in 1949 after acquiring the West Bank, which it later renounced in 1974. Amman is the capital and the largest city.