ENCYCLOPEDIA
BRITANNICA:
Dead Sea:
Arabic AL-BAHR AL-MAYYIT, Hebrew YAM
HA-MELAH ("Salt Sea"), landlocked salt lake between Israel and
Jordan, the lowest body of water on Earth, which averages about 1,312 feet (400
m) below sea level. Its northern half belongs to Jordan; its southern half is
divided between Jordan and Israel. After the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, however,
the Israeli army remained in occupation of the entire western shore.
The Dead Sea lies between the
hills of Judaea to the west and the Transjordanian plateaus to the east.