- Who
- Dead Sea
- What
- 436 metre(s)
- Where
- Not Applicable ()
- When
The Dead Sea on the Israel-Jordan border is the lowest exposed body of water on Earth, at an average of around 436 m (1,430 ft) below sea level. It is 80 km (50 miles) long, with a maximum width of 18 km (11 miles). Lying in a sunken block between two parallel geological faults (in fact, a northern extension of Africa's Great Rift Valley), it is fed largely by the Jordan River, but has no outlet – the hot desert climate ensures that the heavy inflow evaporates rapidly.
Israel's Environmental Protection Ministry estimates the water level in the Dead Sea is decreasing by about 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) per year. The Dead Sea is also the world's deepest hypersaline lake. It has an average depth of 120 m (390 ft) deep, but reaches 372 m (1,240 ft) at its most profound.
