Interesting facts regarding the Dead Sea

 

 

  • It is famous for being the lowest location (lake) on the planet (-420 m; at the present)
  • The saltiest body of water on Earth
  • Located in the deepest part of the Syrian-African Great Rift Valley
  • The Dead Sea is the terminal lake of River Jordan
  • The Dead Sea comprises 2 basins: the northern basin is the deepest (-713 B.S.L) whereas the southern basin is very shallow.
  • Known also by the names: Tongue lake and the Salt Sea
  • The Dead Sea level withdraws ,on average, 1 meter per year
  • Concentration of salts is up to 10 times higher than sea water, 34% compared to 3.5% in the sea /ocean
  • In addition to the salt, the Dead Sea water contains chlorine, bromine, sodium, potassium and magnesium providing many healing qualities
  • In the past, nobody believed that life could exist in the Dead Sea. Today we know for fact that Halophilic bacterium and algae lives in this tough environment
  • The curative properties of the Dead Sea have been recognized since the days of Herod the Great over 2000 years ago
  • The Dead Sea is 80 kilometres (50 miles) long, approximately 14 kilometres (9 miles) wide. The northern and larger part is very deep, reaching at one point a depth of 430m (1320 feet). The southern bay is, on the contrary, very shallow, averaging hardly a depth of 4m (13 feet).
  • Although sparsely populated and serenely quiet now, the Dead Sea area is believed to have been home to five Biblical cities: Sodom, Gomorrah, Adman, Zebouin and Zoar