The dead Sea
The Dead Sea is 16 km wide and is between 75 and 85 km long. The water level is 394 m below the sea level. But in the last couple of years it was reduced because of heavy evaporation. In the East the dead sea is surrounded by up to 1285m high moabitc mountains. In the West of the Dead Sea there are the Judäa ridges (up to 1014m). The Dead Sea includes a North and a South basin. The water depth in the South is 5-10m and in the North over 400m. The river Jordan sediments clay and mar in the Dead Sea. Therefor the water is oily, tastes bitter and because of the salt it burns in the eyes. Nevertheless it is a big attraction for tourists. The salt content is about 31%. That's ten times more than usual. This high salt content causes strong buoyancy. Back in 1848 the deepest continental point was found in the Dead Sea.
