Dead Sea

The Dead Sea (Arabic البحر الميت,Hebrew ים המלח) is the lowest publicly-accessible1 exposed point on the Earth's surface. It is on the border between the West Bank, Israel, and Jordan on the Jordan Rift Valley. This endorheic body of water is the deepest hypersaline lake in the world.

Related Topics:
Arabic - Hebrew - Lowest - Earth - West Bank - Israel - Jordan - Jordan Rift Valley - Endorheic

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The Dead Sea is 76km long, up to 18km wide and 400m deep at its deepest point. The surface of the Dead Sea is at an elevation of 417.5m (1369ft) below sea level (2005 figure).

Related Topics:
Elevation - Sea level

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The Dead Sea has attracted interest and visitors from around the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years. It was a place of refuge for King David, it was one of the world's first health resorts for Herod the Great, it has been the supplier of products as diverse as balms for Egyptian mummification to potash for fertilizers.

Related Topics:
King David - Herod the Great - Mummification - Potash

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In Hebrew the Dead Sea is called the {{Audio|He-Dead_Sea.ogg|Yam ha-Melah}} - meaning "sea of salt", or Yam ha-Mavet - meaning "the Dead Sea". In past times it was the "Eastern Sea" or the "Sea of Arava." In Arabic the Dead Sea is called {{Audio|ArDeadSea.ogg|Al-Bahr Al-Mayyet}} meaning "the Dead Sea", or less commonly Bahr Lut meaning "the Sea of Lot". Historically, another Arabic name was the "Sea of Zoar," after a nearby town. To the Greeks, the Dead Sea was "Lake Asphaltites" (see below).

Related Topics:
Salt - Arabic - Lot

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