Did You Know? The Dead Sea on the Israel-Jordan border is the lowest place on land on Earth. Its surface and shores are 423 metres (1,388 ft) below sea level, Earth’s lowest elevation on land. The Dead Sea is 377 m (1,237 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline (extra salty) lake in the world. With 33.7% salinity, it is also one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water, though Lake Assal (Djibouti), Garabogazköl, and some hypersaline lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica (such as Don Juan Pond) have reported higher salinities. It is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which animals cannot flourish, hence its name. It is, however, extra floaty. LEARN MORE.