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The Dead Sea Facts

The Dead Sea Facts
The Dead Sea is one of the world's saltiest bodies of water, also known as the Salt Sea and the Sea of Death. It borders Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank. Despite its name as a sea it is actually a lake. It is the deepest salt water lake on earth at 1004 feet deep and it is located at earth's lowest land elevation. With such a high salinity fish and aquatic plants cannot live in the Dead Sea and animals cannot rely on it for water. Historically it was used as a health resort, and today it is popular for health research. The Dead Sea's mineral content is remarkable and with few pollens and allergens and it has long been used for making health products such as herbal sachets and cosmetics and was even used in the mummification process.
Interesting The Dead Sea Facts:
The Dead Sea's density due to its salt content is such that people can float in the water much easier than in non-salt water. Great Salt Lake in the U.S. is similar in this regard that people can float easier there as well.
The Dead Sea is 9.6 times saltier than the ocean.
While the Dead Sea is 1004 feet deep, it is 1,388 feet below sea level.
The Dead Sea is 9.3 miles wide at its widest and 31 miles long.
The main tributary to the Dead Sea is Jordan River.
With a salt concentration of more than 33% it is one of the saltiest water bodies on earth. The Caspian Sea's Lagoon Garabogazkol, and Antarctica's Lake and are saltier at 35%, while Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys is 44% salinity.
Although there are no fish or aquatic plants in the salty Dead Sea, there are some bacteria and microbial fungi.
The Dead Sea produces asphalt, spitting it up from its sea bed. This asphalt was used in the mummification process, and it has been found coated on archaeological objects from the Neolithic period.
Because of the low elevation of the Dead Sea the amount of solar radiation is reduced in the region, and when combined with the lower atmospheric pressure, the area has benefits to human health.
The Dead Sea is surrounded by land on three sides. Water does not flow out of the Dead Sea, but it does flow in from rivers and streams.
Some of the health benefits of the Dead Sea salt include their ability to help treat conditions such as acne, cellulite, psoriasis, dandruff and hives.
The Dead Sea salt has also shown to help reduce the pain and aching muscles associated with osteoarthritis.
The potassium found in the Dead Sea is a major source for its use in agriculture worldwide.
There are approximately 618 acres of date palms growing around the Dead Sea.
It is believed that the Dead Sea dates back to as far as 3.7 million years ago.
At one point the Dead Sea was known as Stinky Sea.
A person could not drink the water from the Dead Sea. It is so salty that it would be deadly.


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