Record points of land below ocean level. The Dead Sea is the lowest place on the planet. Israel, Jordan Places below sea level
The Dead Sea phenomenon has long attracted the attention of scientists. Despite the fact that there are other similar bodies of water on Earth (for example, Lake Assal, which is considered the saltiest in the world), it is the Dead Sea that is of the greatest interest. After all, events described in the Bible took place on its shores. High salinity makes the Dead Sea water unsuitable for living organisms to live in, with the exception of a few types of bacteria, and at the same time gives it healing powers. Every year thousands of people come here to receive treatment by taking thermal and mud baths.
The famous Qumran manuscripts were found in the vicinity of the Dead Sea. These are more than 600 manuscripts proving that the Jewish sect of the Essenes, back in the 2nd century BC, professed principles surprisingly similar to the Gospel commandments.
The Dead Sea depression is located between Israel and Jordan and extends to the African continent. Its age is estimated at 12,000 years, and the first information about the Dead Sea can be found in the Bible, where it is called the “Salt Sea,” which is fed by the sacred Jordan River. The Dead Sea is 80 km long, and its maximum width - between the Moab mountains in the east and the Judean Desert in the west - is about 18 km.
Thus, the total area of the sea is approximately 1200 km 2. Its northern part is much deeper than the central part, where the average depth is about 10 m. The lowest point of the seabed is at a depth of 794 m from the level of the Mediterranean Sea. The name “Dead Sea” is essentially a misnomer. In fact, this is not a sea, but a lake that does not know the ebb and flow of the tides. However, the water level in it constantly changes depending on the season. The high salt content in the Dead Sea is explained by the fact that it is closed. The water of the Jordan that enters it does not go anywhere. Under the scorching sun, it quickly evaporates, and the salts it contains gradually accumulate. Therefore, the lake is not very suitable for a real beach holiday. However, the history and unique properties of the waters of the Dead Sea have made it extremely attractive to tourists.
general information
Inland sea on the Israeli-Jordanian border.The sea area is divided into two basins.
The lowest point on the surface of the Earth.
One of the saltiest natural bodies of water in the world.
REGIONAL ECONOMY
The chemical industry is mainly the production of pharmaceuticals and fertilizers.Extraction of bromine, potassium, magnesium.
Tourism.
Climate and weather
Subtropical.The average temperature is about 25ºС. But 50ºС is far from uncommon here.
Attractions
■ Judean Desert.■ The area of Qumran, where members of the Essene community lived.
■ Murabbat Canyon.
■ Masada Fortress.
■ The place where the city of Sodom was located.
■ Hot springs at Ein Gedi.
Curious facts
■ “Dead Sea” - this is how the Greek scientist Pauzanias, who was the first to explore its waters, dubbed this salt lake.■ The photo on the left is not a montage at all: you can really lie quietly on the surface of the Dead Sea and read a newspaper.
■ The first scrolls with manuscripts from Qumran were discovered quite by accident by a Bedouin boy in 1946.
■ Today the Qumran scrolls are exhibited in two museums
You probably know about the deepest trench, the Mariana Trench, and TravelAsk has already talked about it. But did you know that there is a place on the planet that is almost half a kilometer below the level? Yes, Mother Earth constantly surprises us.
The deepest place on the planet
The Dead Sea is the lowest landmass on Earth. That is, in essence, a person here is on land, and the sea level “says” that he is under water.
The Dead Sea coast is 417.5 meters below sea level. It is also called the Asphalt Sea, the Sea of Sodom and the Sea of Salt. The reservoir is located on the border of Jordan and Israel. It is quite clear that the road around the Dead Sea is also the lowest road on Earth.
The length of the sea is 67 kilometers, and the width in its largest section is only 18 kilometers. The reservoir can boast of depth: the maximum is 306 meters, and on average 200 meters to the bottom from the surface of the water.
That is, imagine, the lowest point of the seabed of the Dead Sea is 723 meters from the level of the world's oceans!
And of course, the main feature of the Dead Sea is its salinity. This is one of the saltiest bodies of water on the planet, the salt level is 300-310%, and in some years reaches 350%.
Fact #1. No one lives in the Dead Sea because of its salinity. Or almost no one. About 70 species of oomycetes and higher fungi have been discovered here. They are not afraid of the salt level.
Fact #2. The water level in the Dead Sea drops by a meter every year. This is very scary for the reservoir and threatens an environmental disaster. Thus, the volume of water here has decreased from 325 cubic kilometers to 147. Moreover, the sea is practically divided into 2 parts due to such drainage.
The main reason is the activity of factories extracting minerals here, as well as climate change.
Fact #3. It was next to the Dead Sea or even in its place (according to some versions) that the famous Sodom and Gomorrah were located. However, the search for ancient cities was never successful. But at the bottom of the sea, anomalies similar to the ruins of a city were recorded by satellite. And the rock salt mountains in the southwest of the reservoir are called Sodom Mountains, although the origin of the name has not been fully established.
Fact #4. The level of minerals in Dead Sea water is approximately 30%.
Fact #5. There is a project to transfer water from the Red and Mediterranean Seas to the Dead Sea. The cost of constructing the canal is estimated at $4 billion.
Fact #6. It was on the shores of the Dead Sea that the biblical Lot and his daughters found refuge after the destruction of Sodom. Here you can even see the pillar of salt into which Lot’s wife turned.
Fact No. 7. In the vicinity of the Dead Sea, Qumran manuscripts were found belonging to the ancient Jewish sect of the Essenes. They date back to around the 2nd century BC. Their principles were very similar to the gospel commandments. They were found by chance by a Bedouin boy in 1947. Scientists believe that it was the teachings of the Essenes that paved the way for the perception of Christianity.
Who's in second and third place?
The second place is occupied by the coast of Lake Assal in Djibouti, it lies 155 meters below sea level. In third place is the Death Valley desert in California - this is the lowest point in both Americas, 86 meters below sea level.
We invite you to look at the world from the lowest points of the Earth - and there are such places on every continent, they are located much below sea level. In this collection I will tell you about seven such places.
There are many places on the planet where you are standing on dry land, while the level of the world's oceans suggests that you are actually submerged under water. Let's start with the Dead Sea in Asia. It is also called the Salt Sea and is located between Palestine, Israel and Jordan. Its shores and surface are located at 422 meters below sea level. This is the lowest landmass on Earth 
Next comes Lake Assal in Africa, it is located in Djibouti, Ethiopia. The lake lies 155 meters below sea level in the Afar Lowland. This is the lowest landmass in Africa and the second on Earth after the Dead Sea. The water here is one of the saltiest in the world - 34.8% salt concentration, which is higher than the concentration in the Dead Sea and ten times the salinity level in the ocean
There is a place in Antarctica called the Vestfold Hills, which is located 50 meters below sea level. For your information, the deepest place on Earth not covered by liquid water is the Bentley Deep in Antarctica with a depth of 2555 meters below sea level. The depression is covered with a huge layer of ice. The deepest place on Earth covered with liquid water is the Mariana Trench. 
There are similar places in North America. Death Valley is a desert located in the southwestern United States. Located within the Mojave Desert, the intermontane trench is the lowest, driest, and hottest place in the Americas. The site called Badwater in Death Valley is the lowest place in the United States, 86 meters below sea level. Surprisingly, this point is only 76 miles east of Mount Whitney, the highest point at 4,422 meters. Death Valley is also considered to be home to some of the hottest temperatures on Earth, with Furnace Creek reaching 56.7°C on July 13, 1913. Only higher is the world record of 58°, recorded in Libya on September 13, 1922 
In South America there is Laguna Del Carbon with a depth of 105 meters below sea level. Laguna del Carbon (Coal Lagoon) is a salt lake located in Argentina. It is the lowest point in the Western and Southern Hemispheres and the seventh lowest point on Earth. Pay attention to the quality of the road surface in the Argentine desert... 
The lowest point in Europe is the Caspian Sea. Its basin area is 371,000 km2, which is about 10 percent of the world's closed water basin area. The ancient inhabitants considered the Caspian Sea an ocean, probably due to its salinity and apparent immensity. The sea is a closed lake, and the water in it is salty, with an average salinity of 1.2%. This is the lowest place in Europe with a depth of 28 meters below the level 
We visited each of the continents, only Australia remained. There is such a place here too - Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia at a depth of 15 meters below sea level in the very center of the huge Eyre Basin, Australia's largest lake 
It is difficult to determine from photographs, but almost everywhere the ocean was at least 20 meters higher than the point where the photographer stood... Isn’t it amazing that such places exist on Earth?
Incredible facts
Imagine living in a place so remote that you only get mail once a year, or making it to the top of the highest place on Earth.
There are places that are unique in their kind, difficult to reach, and famous for their extreme temperatures, altitude, depth and other characteristics.
Highest point on Earth
Everest, at an altitude of 8848 m, is known as the highest peak on Earth, and this is true. However, it still depends on how you look at it. Technically, Everest's rocky peak is the highest piece of land above sea level. But since the Earth is not a perfect sphere, some lower points are actually "higher" in space. Mount Everest is less close to the moon and stars than another mountain that is relatively obscure and is - Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador. Its height is 6268 m, and although it is not as tall as Everest, it is actually closer to outer space due to the uneven shape of the Earth.
The highest point that can be reached by transport
In Tibet, road Semo La, whose height is 5,565 m, will take you through incredibly beautiful views and a dangerous pass. It is believed that the road Marsimic La is the highest pass in the world, but it all depends on which road can be considered accessible. Semo La road can be reached by vehicle. Authorities believe that there are other higher and more distant roads, but they have not yet been documented.
The most remote island on Earth
The most remote inhabited archipelago in the world is considered Tristan da Cunha, which is located in the South Atlantic Ocean. Its main island is so small that it has no airstrip. The island is home to about 300 people sharing only 8 surnames, which is why residents of the country suffer from hereditary diseases such as asthma and glaucoma. The island was annexed by Britain in 1800 and has a British postal code. And although residents can order goods online, delivery of goods takes a very long time. The island settlement itself is located 3,200 km from the nearest continent.
Deepest point in the ocean
Mariana Trench, southwest of Guam in the Pacific Ocean, is the deepest point in the world's oceans. Its depth is 10,924 meters. If Mount Everest were placed in a trench, it would be covered by more than 1 mile of water. The pressure at the bottom of the trench is a thousand times stronger than at sea level. In 1960, the US Navy sent two naval officers to the bottom of the trench in the bathyscaphe Trieste. They were able to observe fish, shrimp and other creatures living on the ocean floor.
Lowest point on Earth
Dead Sea is the lowest piece of land that is below sea level, being 423 m. On the border of Jordan and Israel, the road around the Dead Sea is also the lowest road on Earth. Due to its extreme salinity, the Dead Sea is considered literally dead, as no creature can live there.
The coldest, driest and wettest place on Earth
Antarctica- This is a place of continuous extremes. It is not inhabited by people all year round because it is too cold here. In 1983, scientists recorded the lowest air temperature on Earth and it was 89.2 degrees below zero. Antarctica is also considered the wettest place and at the same time the driest place on Earth. It is considered the wettest not because of rain, but simply because it is 98 percent covered in ice, and is technically very wet. However, since it is the coldest place on Earth, it experiences the least amount of precipitation - less than 5 cm per year, which makes Antarctica practically a desert.
Largest net elevation difference on Earth
Mount Thor V Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island in the province of Nunavut in Canada represents 1.2 km of net vertical elevation change. Mount Thor is the most famous peak in Canada and it is made of pure granite. It is one of the favorite peaks for thrill-seekers and climbers.
The deepest ice on Earth
Bentley's Hollow in Antarctica, this is a phenomenally thick layer of ice, whose depth is 2,555 m. This is the lowest point on Earth not covered by an ocean. The Bentley Deep is the size of Mexico and is technically covered with water (ice), which is why the Dead Sea is still considered the lowest point on Earth.
The hottest place on Earth
Death Valley known for its heat, but the hottest place that was officially recorded was the city El Azizia. In 1922, the air temperature here reached 57.7 °C. The record high temperature in Death Valley is 56.7°C.
From the dark depths of the ocean to some of the highest peaks on Earth, below are twenty-five of the world's vastest, tallest, deepest and tiniest places!
25. The deepest lake is Lake Baikal
This Siberian rift lake is not only the deepest lake on Earth, but it also has the largest volume and contains approximately 20 percent of the fresh water of the entire Earth's surface.
24. The highest mountain is Everest
As you may have suspected, Everest is officially the tallest mountain in the world. But this is only if we start our measurement at sea level...
23. The highest mountain from base to summit is Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea, a volcano on the big island of Hawaii, is more than twice as tall as Everest, measured from the mountain's seabed base to its peak.
22. The point furthest from the center of the Earth is Mount Chimborazo
Due to the Earth's bulge at the equator, the peak of Mount Everest is also not the farthest point from the center of the Earth. That honor belongs to the summit of Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador.
21. The lowest point on Earth - Challenger Deep
This depression, located at a depth of almost 11 kilometers below the ocean surface, is the deepest point of the already deep Mariana Trench. In fact, Everest would fit comfortably here below the surface.
20. The highest waterfall - Angel Falls
This waterfall in Venezuela is so high that the water sometimes evaporates before it reaches the ground.
19. The driest place is the Atacama Desert
In the middle of the Chilean Atacama Desert there is a point where rain has never fallen. Scientists call this region an “absolute desert.”
18. The highest human settlement is La Rinconada
This mining town, located in Peru, is in the highest inhabited region of the globe. At an altitude higher than the location of La Rinconada, a person simply will not be able to adapt.
17. Highest temperature - Death Valley
With a recorded temperature of nearly 57 degrees Celsius, Death Valley in California has once again become the hottest place on Earth in recent memory.
16. The most remote inhabited place on Earth - Tristan da Cunha
This small archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, located thousands of kilometers from both South Africa and South America, has a population of 271 people. Mail arrives here only a few times a year.
15. The deepest cave - Krubera-Voronya Cave
This cave, located in Abkhazia, is the only known cave in the world whose depth exceeds 2,000 meters.
14. The biggest difference in height is Mount Thor
Mount Thor, located in Canada, has an altitude of 1250 meters and despite its very remote location in the frozen tundra of the northern provinces of Canada, it is a popular climbing destination.
13. Hottest inhabited place - Dallol, Ethiopia
The hottest permanently inhabited region in the world is in Ethiopia. Although these days Dallol has become even less populated and some even say that it has become a ghost town. However, it is also worth noting that there has not been an official census in this region for a long time, so the research is based on previously obtained data.
12. The northernmost point of land on Earth - Kaffeklubben Island
This island, belonging to Greenland, is officially considered the northernmost point of land on Earth. However, there are several slow-moving gravel bars that lie further north.
11. Lowest temperature - Vostok Station, Antarctica 
-89.2°C - This temperature was recorded in East Antarctica and, apart from some new satellite measurements, is still considered the coldest land temperature in history.
10. The deepest ice - Bentley Subglacial Trench
This place is also located in Antarctica, and the depth of the local ice exceeds 2.5 kilometers. In fact, the land on which it rests is well below sea level and is the lowest point on Earth not covered by an ocean.
9. The deepest point measured from ground level - Kola superdeep well
Although it was artificially created, this Russian scientific project tried to get as deep into the earth's crust as possible. The drill reached a depth of more than 12 kilometers.
8. The deepest point made by man - TauTona Mine
This South African mine is the deepest point under the surface of the Earth that a person could fit into. Its depth is almost 4 kilometers.
7. The coldest settlement is Oymyakon, Russia
Temperatures sometimes drop below zero in mid-September and remain there until May. The average temperature in January is -46 °C. The population of the village is less than 500 people.
6. The highest road is the Aucanquilcha mining road.
This mining road was once used by trucks to climb this Chilean volcano to an altitude of over 6,000 meters.
5. Highest mountain pass - Marsimik La, India 
Although the volcanic mountain road we saw in the previous point is technically the highest road in the world, it is a dead end and is no longer in use. In contrast, the Marsimik La Pass, located at 5,582 meters in northern India, is often considered the highest functional road in the world.
4. The highest lake is Lake Titicaca
This lake is located on the border of Peru and Bolivia in the Andes at an altitude of 3,812 meters. There are several unnamed crater lakes around the world that may be located slightly higher.
3. The most remote island - Bouvet Island
This small uninhabited Norwegian island in the South Atlantic Ocean lies between Antarctica and Tristan da Cunha (which, as you may recall, is itself quite remote).
2. The longest river is the Nile
Despite the difficulties in accurately calculating the sources and directions of various rivers, the Nile is generally considered the longest river in the world. Its length is 6,650 kilometers. In ancient times, when water still flowed from Lake Tanganyika, the Nile was 1,500 kilometers longer.
1. The farthest point from the ocean is Xinjiang, China
This region in China is Asia's pole of inaccessibility. This basically means that it is the farthest point on the continent from any ocean.