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| A view from the Jordanian side looking across to Israel |
The Dead Sea is know since the Biblical times for it’s beauty
and the therapeutic qualities of its water. Located in the desert between Israel,
Palestinian and Jordan, the surface of the Sea is 1,300 feet (400 meters) below
sea level making the salt lake the lowest spot on earth.
The Dead Sea is one of the saltiest water on earth with a salt
content of 34% - 9.6 times salty as the ocean. It is a landlocked lake – water
cannot escape and due to water evaporation it leaves behind all the dissolved
minerals that comes in the water from the Jordan River and springs under and
around the sea. That’s the reason for
being called “Dead” -there is no life in the Dead Sea – only bacteria.
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| Salt deposit |
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| Salt deposit - the saline water has a high density that keeps bathers buyout |
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| Salt Deposit - much more salty as the ocean |
The salt lake has attracted visitors from all over for thousands
of years because the medicinal quality of the salty water, but in the last
decade it became an environmental concern - the Dead Sea is dying.
It already shrunk by 30% due to manmade changes. With the lack of water resources in the region
as a result of droughts or just weather patterns, the Jordanians, Israelis and
Palestinians diverted the Jordan River water flux by building water dams and
canals for agriculture needs and to save the water for domestic consumption.
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| Beautiful rock formations covered with salt |
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| One of the saltiest water in the world |
In the Jordan side there is a major mineral extraction
going on for decades by the Arab Potash Company generating a lot of money for
the Jordanian government. On the other hand, it has be causing very serious environmental
problems such as with the air quality, the surround landscaping and it has diked
the entire Southern end of the lake.
Because of the ongoing treat of disappearing in the next
30 years, the Dead Sea must be respected and preserved for future generations. For
more information visit Friends of the Earth (Middle East) website.
