What is the lowest lake in the world?

The lowest lake in the world is the Dead Sea, whose surface lies roughly 430 to 440 metres below sea level.

Despite its name, the Dead Sea is a lake: it is an enclosed body of water with no outlet to the ocean. It occupies a deep depression in the Dead Sea Transform, a tectonic valley between the African and Arabian plates. The Jordan River is its main historical inflow, while intense evaporation removes water.

That evaporation concentrates salts and minerals, making the Dead Sea far saltier than ordinary seawater. The high density of the water makes floating easy, but the environment is too saline for fish and most aquatic organisms. The lake’s level has fallen substantially as river water has been diverted and evaporation continues.

The Caspian Sea is also below sea level, but its surface is only about 28 metres below global sea level. Lake Eyre and Djibouti’s Lake Assal are lower than sea level as well, but not nearly as low. Measurements of the Dead Sea’s exact elevation vary because the shoreline is continuously receding.