A short but deeply sacred river, central to Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Length
251 km
Source
Slopes of Mount Hermon
Mouth
Dead Sea
Continent
Asia
Countries
Israel, Jordan, Palestine & Syria
Did you know?
The Jordan ends in the Dead Sea, flowing through the lowest river valley on Earth, far below sea level.
Little-known fact
Despite its huge religious fame it is quite small, and so much water is drawn off that only a trickle now reaches the Dead Sea.
Highlights
- A river sacred to three faiths
- Flows below sea level
- Reduced to a trickle by water use
Life in the Jordan
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Waterbirds
Common kingfisher
A dazzling blue-and-orange dart that plunges from a perch to spear fish in an instant.
Grey heron
A patient, statue-still angler that stalks the shallows of rivers and lakes across the Old World.
Water plants & reeds
Common reed
The tall, feathery grass that forms the vast reedbeds fringing rivers and lakes, sheltering countless birds.
Interactive · 3D journey
Journey of a river · source → sea
Every river runs the same great journey — from an icy mountain spring, down through gorges and looping meanders, to a wide delta where it meets the sea. Tap a stage to follow the water downstream.
Tip: hover to tilt the valley · tap a stage to float downstream
The Source
Every river begins high up — in a mountain spring, a melting glacier or a boggy upland. The water is cold, clear and fast, tumbling down the steepest ground of its whole journey.
Landforms here