Dead Sea
Northern Part of the Great Rift Valley
NASA photo
The Dead Sea (Hebrew ים המלח) is an endorheic lake of saline water (area: ca. 1050 km² or 401 sq mi), fed by the Jordan River, surrounded by Jordan, Israel and the West Bank. The Dead Sea is the world's saltiest lake and the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. The surface of the Dead Sea is the lowest point on the Earth's surface at an elevation of 417 m below sea level (2003 figure). The Dead Sea is seriously threatened by diversion of water from the Jordan River and smaller tributaries to supply Israel and Jordan, and by an Israeli potash mine that increases evaporation. The water level has been dropping by as much as one meter per year, and the total surface area is now almost 1/3 less than it was 50 years ago. Plans to save the Dead Sea include the possibility of pumping sea water from the Red Sea, but there are many serious difficulties and no agreement has been reached.
- See also: brine