A hypersaline lake at the lowest point on Earth's land surface, where you float without trying.
Surface area
605 km²
Maximum depth
about 300 m
Elevation
-430 m
Continent
Asia
Countries
Israel, Jordan & Palestine
Did you know?
The Dead Sea shore is the lowest dry land on Earth, over 430 m below sea level — and still dropping each year.
Little-known fact
It is almost ten times saltier than the ocean, so dense that swimmers bob on the surface like corks.
Highlights
- Lowest land on Earth
- So salty you float
- Shrinking year by year
Interactive · 3D dive
How deep does a lake go?
A lake is layered from the sunlit, weed-filled shallows down to a cold, dark bed. Tap a zone to dive the submersible through the water column — and meet the life that belongs at each depth.
Tip: hover the column to tilt it · tap a layer to dive
Littoral Zone
The warm, bright band close to shore where sunlight reaches the bottom. Reeds, water lilies and rooted plants grow thickly here, making it the busiest, most crowded part of the whole lake.
Who lives here