It is the only governorate in Jordan that has borders with three countries: Iraq to the east, Syria to the north, and Saudi Arabia to the south.
Mafraq governorate covers the second largest area in the kingdom, but yet the second smallest population density (after Ma'an).
The western region of the province is part of the fertile Houran plateaus, that extend through southern Syria, the Golan heights and northern Jordan.
At the eastern edge of the region is the 940m high Jebel 'Aneiza [ar] (or 'Unayzah), at the border tripoint between Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
In 2011 and 2012, the civil war in Syria resulted in the immigration of more than 180,000 Syrian refugees to Jordan, mostly settled in Mafraq and Irbid Governorates.
[13] There is one natural gas production field at Al-Reeshah, it is run by the Jordanian National Petroleum Company.