Bodies of Water
The Dead Sea
Also Known As Bahr al-Mayyit Arabic for "Sea of Death"; the English name Dead Sea is a direct translation of this Arabic name by way of Greek and Latin. · Yam HaMelach Hebrew for "Sea of Salt," the most common name for the sea in both biblical and modern Hebrew.
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The Dead Sea is a hypersaline lake on the border of Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan, fed chiefly by the Jordan River. Its shoreline marks the lowest point on the surface of the Earth's continents, roughly 430 meters below sea level, and its extreme salinity, several times that of the open ocean, keeps most life out of its waters and lets bathers float without effort. Decades of upstream diversion have shrunk its surface area and lowered its level by roughly a meter a year.
Facts
Area (sq km)The Dead Sea's surface area is shrinking by roughly one percent a year as upstream diversion reduces inflow; the figure given is a recent published estimate, not a fixed constant. Maximum Depth (m) Elevation (m) Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
The Dead Sea sits within the Levant, on the Israel-Jordan boundary the region's narrow definition names.
Borders
On Continent
Sources
1. National Geographic Atlas of the World
National Geographic Society, 2019
2. United States Geological Survey
3. Dead Sea (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationInfobox, Length (northern basin only, since the southern basin dried and is now industrial evaporation ponds)Quote, Infobox, Length (northern basin only, since the southern basin dried and is now industrial evaporation ponds)
50 km (31 mi)
3. Dead Sea (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationInfobox, Coordinates fieldQuote, Infobox, Coordinates field
31.500N 35.500E
3. Dead Sea (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationBorders: Jordan, Lead sectionQuote, Borders: Jordan, Lead section
a landlocked salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east, the West Bank to the west and Israel to the southwest
3. Dead Sea (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationBorders: Israel, Lead sectionQuote, Borders: Israel, Lead section
a landlocked salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east, the West Bank to the west and Israel to the southwest
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica
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