The Dead Sea is the lowest-elevation body of water on Earth’s land surface.
It lies between Jordan and Israel and the West Bank, in a deep tectonic depression associated with the Dead Sea Transform. Its surface is hundreds of metres below global mean sea level, although the exact elevation changes as the water level falls.
The lake is exceptionally salty because it has no outlet and evaporation removes water while leaving dissolved minerals behind. The salinity is far higher than that of ordinary seawater, making it difficult for most organisms to survive there and giving the lake its name.
The Dead Sea is shrinking because of water diversion, mineral extraction, and regional climatic pressures. It is a lake despite its name, and it should not be confused with the Caspian Sea, which is the world’s largest inland body of water but lies at a higher elevation.