a drainless salt lake in Jordan and Israel, covering 1,050 sq km. It is 76 km long and has a maximum width of 17 km and a maximum depth of 356 m. It occupies the lowest part of the al-Ghor tectonic depression, lying 395 m below sea level, the lowest point on earth. The western and eastern shores are steep and rocky, and a coastal plain bounds the sea on the north and south. The sea is fed primarily by the Jordan River, which flows into it from the north. The hot, dry climate, with an annual precipitation of 50 to 100 mm, contributes to the intensive evaporation and high mineral content of the water. The water’s average salinity is 260–270 parts per thousand, reaching 310 parts per thousand in some years. In the composition of the mineral salts MgCl (52 percent) and NaCl (30 percent) predominate, and there are significant amounts of KC1 and MgBr. The high mineral content of the water makes organic life impossible, with the exception of certain species of bacteria. There is considerable fluctuation in the water level (as much as 12 m in historical times). The shores of the sea are a desert, although there are a few oases. Mineral salts are extracted along the southern shore.