HOLY LAND BOOK - Draft

Dead Sea Facts
10 things you didn’t know about the lowest place on Earth
We love the Dead Sea round these parts, we really do. And if you’ve never been, it really has to be on your list of must sees when visiting Israel.
We’re guessing (OK, presuming) you might have picked up a few bits and bobs about the Dead Sea along your Internet travels, like the amazing
ability to float on your back and the health benefits associated with the area, but we have a feeling you don’t know the really good stuff, so…
1
Water
5
Aristotle
HOT READ
never flows out of Dead Sea because it is surrounded
by land on three sides. The only open side is actually the
route through which water enters Dead Sea from rivers and
streams. Water flows into the Dead Sea (the Jordan River is
the main source of water), but it doesn’t flow out! Why the
heck not, I hear you cry…Well, largely due to evaporation as
it’s very hot in this area.
3
The
minerals in the Dead Sea all
naturally occur within our bodies – yes,
you could become your own health
resort!
used to scribble things about the
Dead Sea in his renowned writings.
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2
Maybe
somebody before her spotted the potential
(some say Herod the Great), but it was Cleopatra
who first loved and thus promoted the Dead Sea,
even ordering cosmetic factories and resorts be built
along its shores.
4
Many centuries ago, one of the popular
names of the Dead Sea was “The Stinky Sea”.
And it had nothing to do with Cleopatra’s
fondness for hummus.
The Dead Sea is a dinosaur – it’s 3 million years old!
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You can take a spin along Road 90, the world’s lowest road,
which runs along the shores of the Dead Sea at 393 meters
below sea level.
It is called Dead Sea but the truth is that it is not a sea. It is actually
a salt water lake.
If we are to measure the depth of Dead Sea with respect to sea
level of this planet, it becomes even deeper. Its shores and the
water surface are located 1,401 feet or 427 meters below sea
level, making it a water body on Earth’s lowest elevation of land.
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Oh
Mummy! Egyptians used to splash some of that Dead Sea mud and asphalt all over in their mummification
process of the deceased. Dead Sea has a very unusual phenomenon. It spits out asphalt almost
constantly. Asphalt used in ancient Egypt for mummification was imported from Dead Sea. Because of this
unusual asphalt spitting phenomenon, the Greeks named the Dead Sea as Lake Asphaltites.
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Yes, Dead Sea cannot support life but it is useful in several healthcare and treatment types. The pollen
content of this lake is extremely low. It is also free of other allergens. On top of it, it is the home of different
types of minerals. Also, solar UV radiation is greatly reduced near Dead Sea. Additionally, atmospheric
pressure near this lake is high because of its low elevation. These factors together make it beneficial for
human health.
Rain is very rare in the Dead Sea – less than 10cm of rain falls in the area every year (an average winter
temp of 20-23C might give you a clue as why).
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This hypersaline lake is one of the most salty lakes in this world. The salt concentration of Dead Sea is
33.7%. But this does not make it the saltiest water body because Caspian Sea’s Lagoon Garabogazköl has
35% salinity, Lake Assal in central-western Djibouti has 34.8% salinity, Antarctica’s Lake Vanda has 35%
salinity and Don Juan Pond located in Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys has 44% salinity!
It is world’s deepest salt water lake to exist on this planet. It is 1,004 feet or 306 meters deep.
Source: https://igoogledisrael.com/dead-sea-facts-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-lowest-place-on-earth/
http://factslegend.org/25-interesting-dead-sea-facts/
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