The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth's surface

The Dead Sea, a hypersaline lake bordered by Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, is the lowest point on Earth's land surface at approximately 1,410 feet below sea level. This extreme depth results from geological depression created by the Dead Sea Transform, a major fault line. The Dead Sea's defining characteristic is extraordinary salinity—approximately 34% salt content, nearly 10 times higher than ocean water. This extreme salinity resulted from millions of years of evaporation in arid climate, with mineral-rich freshwater having no oceanic outlet. High salt concentration makes water extremely buoyant, causing swimmers to float effortlessly. However, this salinity renders the Dead Sea largely devoid of life; only specialized halophilic bacteria and archaea survive, hence the name. The Dead Sea is shrinking due to reduced Jordan River freshwater inflow and direct evaporation, dropping approximately 1 meter yearly.