The Dead Sea is named as such due to its high contents of salt (8.6 times saltier than the ocean) which prevents almost all but the tiniest organisms from living in it.

Located between Israel and Jordan, The Dead Sea is 420 meters (1,378 ft) below sea level, and is the lowest point on the surface of the earth.

Year-round sunny skies, low pollution and a belief that the Sea's water and mud have special healing properties make it a popular location for health resorts and tourism.

Although it is called The Dead Sea, it is actually a lake, measuring 810 KM� (310 sq mi).

Anyone can easily float in The Dead Sea due to its natural buoyancy created by its high concentration of salt.

Its shores are mostly covered in crystals of salt which make them almost completely white.

One of its most unusual characteristics is its discharge of asphalt. From deep seeps, the sea constantly spits up small pebbles of the black substance. After earthquakes, chunks as large as houses have been found.

It is feared that The Dead Sea may one day shrink to the point where its characteristics will substantially change as its shoreline has dropped 23m (72 ft) from 1970 to 2007.

On May 9th, 2005, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority signed an agreement to begin feasibility studies on a project to stop The Dead Sea from receding by diverting water to it from either the Mediterranean or the Red Sea.

On May 9th, 2005, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority signed an agreement to begin feasibility studies on a project to stop The Dead Sea from receding by diverting water to it from either the Mediterranean or the Red Sea.