Dead Sea also known as Sea of Salt or Salt Sea, situated in the Jordan Rift Valley is the deepest saline sea on earth. Jordan River is the major water supplier of the Dead Sea. It is also the world's saltiest water body with the salinity of 34.2%. And the name Dead Sea has been given for this extreme salinity of the water due to which no animal can thrive in this sea.
The water of Dead Sea is having the density of 1.240kg/L due to which swimming in Dead Sea is almost synonymous to floating. That is why it is said that nobody ever drowns in the Dead Sea. It is worthy of mentioning in this connection that the Great Salt Lake in America is also similar to Dead Sea in this respect.
Dead Sea is situated about 420 meters or 1385 feet below the sea level making it the world's lowest elevation.
The amount of water which evaporates from this sea is more than the amount of water that flows through it. This is because its water has got the highest quantity of concentrated salt in it which amounts to as high as nearly 350 grams per litre.
The Dead Sea is considered the saltiest water body existing on earth with a salinity of 33.7%. Although Lake Assal (Djibouti), Garabogazkol and some hypersaline lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica (such as Don Juan Pond) have reported higher salinities.
The Dead Sea is the deepest of all hyper-saline lakes on earth. And by "Hyper-saline Lake" we mean a body of water which is having greater amount of sodium chloride and other salts that exceeds the normal saline level of ocean water.
The water of the Dead Sea is nearly 9 times saltier than the ocean water. This extreme salinity creates an environment which is not viable for any aquatic animals except for some bacteria and fungi.
It is known to many that the region around the Dead Sea is reputed as quite a popular health resort. But there are different reasons behind that which are not known to many people. The mineral affluent water is much beneficial for the betterment of health. The region is also very low in the presence of allergens (substance responsible for different allergies in our body). Also there is less amount of ultra violet component in the solar radiation in and around the Dead Sea. The atmospheric pressure existing in this region is quite high, which is also having the benefits of its own such as bettering the health condition of a patient suffering from respiratory ailments. The mud taken from the Dead Sea is used as a medical pack that is believed to provide relief from the joint pain such as in the knee.
According to the Bible the Dead Sea is known as the place of refuge for David, the king. It is also believed to be the first health resort in the world for the great Herod. The place was also famous for producing and supplying a wide range of rare products such as the balms used in the process of mummification and potash used as fertilizers.
Another unknown feature of the Dead Sea is its ejection of asphalt. The sea always discharges black pebbles of different shapes and sizes. Among them asphalt and bitumen coated substances have also been found. It is believed that the mummification process utilized the materials found from this region.
Highway 90, the lowest road of the world, goes along the west bank of the Dead Sea at around 1290 feet down the sea level. To fight the crisis of Dead Sea is shrinking at a fast rate; Jordan National Red Sea Development Project has been undertaken since 2009.