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With its world record of salinity, one might think the Dead Sea an environment hostile to life. Nevertheless, this salt lake is home to many life forms: unicellular organisms and algae.

It  may well reach a record of salinity (275 g / l, or about 48 spoons of  salt per liter of water!), It does not completely prohibit life from  developing there. This 810 km2 stretch of water wedged between Israel, Palestine and Jordan is in fact a salt lake, not connected to the sea.

For nearly seventy years, the area has been subject to the turmoil of the Arab-Israeli conflict. But none of the belligerents are responsible for the state of the Dead Sea. It is an excess of salt that seems to have caused this geological murder perpetuated well before the age of medical examiners.With 27.5% of salt, the water of this sea beats with a considerable margin the average salinity of the water bodies of its species: about 2% to 4%. The number alone makes the hypertensives nervous. Fish and seaweed, they can not survive in this environment saltier than an addition in a caviar restaurant, and it is their absence that justifies its name of "Dead Sea". The investigation is still going on, with a few hundred thousand years behind schedule. The sea itself is not as innocent as it seems: it is in fact a lake, and this usurpation of identity is suspect.

Thanks for the thorough explanation!

How Dead Sea got its name

Your average sea will contain about 4% salt. The "Dead sea" which is actually a salt lake, contains 29% salt. All that salinity prevents any life-form from establishing its ground anywhere near it. That's why there are no fish, flora or fauna around it. Giving it an appearance of death surrounding it. Thats why the salt lake is appropriately named "The Dead sea".

Great @runicar Contribution appreciated!!

 6 years ago  Reveal Comment

Thanks @koshilo. As usual , thorough explanation!