What is the Lowest Lake?

Statistics of the Lowest Lake

The Dead Sea is the lowest lake of the world. It may be called a sea but it is considered as a lake. Actually, it is a salt lake found that borders between Israel and Jordan. The shores as well as the surface of the lake have the measurement of 1,385 feet or 422 meters below the sea level. It is considered as the lowest elevation on the world’s surface that belongs to the dry land.

As the lowest lake in the world, the Dead Sea also has a maximum depth measurement of 1,240 feet or 378 meters. It is in fact the deepest salt lake of the world. It is also among the saltiest water bodies in the world because it has a salinity of 33.7%. Compared to the ocean, this lake is 8.6 times saltier. The saltiness of the water makes the lake a severe environment since nothing can literally survive on it.

The length of the Dead Sea is 42 miles or 67 kilometers and the width is 11 miles or 18 kilometers at the widest point of the lake. The lowest lake is lying in the place called Jordan Rift Valley where the Jordan River is its major tributary. The surface area of the lake is 810 square kilometers or 310 square miles. The water volume of the Dead Sea is 147 cubic kilometers or 35 cubic miles.

Therapies and Health Effects

The area of the Dead Sea has developed into a major focus for researches in relation to health and treatment. The various characteristics of the lowest lake have become the important factors of these researches. The water of the lake has lots of mineral content. The atmosphere surrounding the lake has very low content of pollens and other kinds of allergens. It also has a very low component of ultraviolet for solar radiation. At this depth of the lake, the atmospheric pressure is high and researchers are also studying it for specific health effects on individuals.

The climate of the Dead Sea area and its low elevation had turned the lake into a very famous place for various kinds of therapies. Climatotheraphy, Thalassotheraphy, and Heliotheraphy are among the popular therapies done in the lowest lake on Earth.

Human Communities

Near and around the Dead Sea are various human communities and among these are the settlements of the West Bank Israeli. At Ein Gedi is a nature preserve that is truly beautiful. There are hotels found within the southwest end of the lake at the place called Ein Bokek close to Neve Zohar. On the Israeli side of the lake, Highway 90 is the major road that runs from north to south. On the Jordanian side of the lake, the major road is Highway 65 that runs also from north to south. There is also a small town here called Potash City.