Dead Sea: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 13, 2026

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Police, emergency services searching for people, vehicles trapped in southern Israel floods • Oct. 27, 2026, 11:22 PM ET (Jerusalem Post)

Did You Know?

The Dead Seas water is a third salt, roughly 9 times higher than most ocean water.
The Dead Sea actually contains many small organisms, microbes able to survive in salty water.

Photos and Videos

White salt deposits cover rocks along the shore of the Dead Sea near Masada, Israel, with green water and dramatic cloudy sky in the background.

Map highlighting the location of the Dead Sea along the border between Israel and Jordan, east of the West Bank and near the Gaza Strip and Mediterranean Sea. The Dead Sea is shown in blue, with surrounding countries and key regions labeled.

Dead Sea shoreline

Stone ruins of Masada spread across a flat, sandy plateau in Israel, with low hills and a clear sky in the background.

Why is seawater so salty?

Explore the cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv–Yafo and the natural sites of the Dead Sea and the Red Canyon

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