The dead sea, a place like no other

The Dead Sea, which is located between Israel and Jordan, is one of the most mysterious and interesting seas in the world.

Nature is capable of creating fascinating landforms. The Great Blue Hole of Belize, the colorful mountains of Zhangye Danxia in China or the Door to Hell of Darvaza in Turkmenistan are just some of them.

These landforms have a series of elements that make them unique. Such is the case of the Dead Sea, which is the world’s saltiest sea in the world and, therefore, the only one that does not contain life inside (beyond microorganisms).

What is it and where is it located?

The Dead Sea is famous since its appearance in various passages in the Bible. The main reason is that it has a high amount of salt that helps objects float on its waters.

The place where the Dead Sea is located is between the borders of Israel and Jordan, more than 400 meters below sea level.This fact also makes it the lowest point on Earth.

It is so salty because it does not have a drain, which implies that evaporation is the only way out of the water, leaving only minerals and salts.

Characteristics and curiosities about the Dead Sea

The saltiest lake in the world, where only some microscopic organisms have managed to survive this excess of salt.
It is almost 9 times saltier than any sea on the planet.

The dimensions of the Dead Sea are about 70km long and 18km wide and it extends over the Jordan Valley.

Anyone can float in this water

It is a natural sanatorium. There, treatments are applied to sick people that can benefit from the unique characteristics of this sea, the low composition of UV rays from solar radiation, the minerals in the water and the low concentration of allergens in the atmosphere.

It has more than 8 ways of naming it: stinking sea, Devil’s sea and Lake of Asphalt. In the Bible they refer to it as the Salt Sea and the Sea of ​​Arabah.

It is also known as the Sea of ​​Sodom and the Sea of ​​Lot. This is because some specialists affirm that the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah lie under its waters. Lastly, as you already know, it is also called the Dead Sea.

On a hot summer day, up to 7,000,000 tons of water escape, which is why it never rises in level.

The future of the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is the deepest aquatic environment on the earth’s surface, not counting the oceans. However, the amount of water in it has been falling dramatically for years.

The Jordan River is the most important source of water for this sea, which is actually a lake.

Perhaps the most curious consequence of these salts is the fact that sinking is practically impossible. This happens because the density of salt water is greater than that of the human body, which allows anyone to swim on their back without any effort.

What to do at the Dead Sea?

The main commercial activity of the Dead Sea is the extraction of minerals. Tourism is the second source of income in this area, as more and more people travel to immerse themselves in these waters to which, in addition, healing properties have been attributed, especially for rheumatic and skin diseases.

But beyond this salty coast, in the surroundings there are several destinations of interest to travelers. Some of them are the caves of Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

There are also the ruins of Masada, where the Romans settled during the so-called war of the Jews.

Likewise, you can visit Mount Nebo where, according to the Bible, Moses died after seeing the promised land and the remains of the city of palm groves or Jericho.