30 April 2013

WORLD - Dead Sea












Dead Sea


The Dead Sea (Arabicالبحر الميت‎ About this sound al-Baḥr al-Mayyit,[4] Hebrewיָם הַ‏‏מֶּ‏‏לַ‏חYām HaMélaḥ, "Sea of Salt", also Hebrewיָם הַ‏‏מָּוֶתYām HaMā́weṯ, "The Sea of Death"), also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and theWest Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are 423 metres (1,388 ft) below sea level,[3] Earth's lowest elevation on land. The Dead Sea is 377 m (1,237 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. With 33.7% salinity, it is also one of the world's saltiest bodies of water, though Lake Assal (Djibouti)Garabogazköl and some hypersaline lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica(such as Don Juan Pond) have reported higher salinities. It is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean.[5] This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which animals cannot flourish, hence its name. The Dead Sea is 55 kilometres (34 mi) long and 18 kilometres (11 mi) wide at its widest point.[1] It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River.

The Dead Sea has attracted visitors from around the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years. Biblically, it was a place of refuge forKing David. It was one of the world's first health resorts (for Herod the Great), and it has been the supplier of a wide variety of products, from balms for Egyptian mummification to potash for fertilizers. People also use the salt and the minerals from the Dead Sea to create cosmetics and herbal sachets. In 2009, 1.2 million foreign tourists visited on the Israeli side.[citation needed]

The Dead Sea seawater has a density of 1.240 kg/L, which makes swimming similar to floating.



Coordinates31°30′N 35°30′ECoordinates31°30′N 35°30′E
Lake typeEndorheic
Hypersaline
Primary inflowsJordan River
Primary outflowsNone
Catchment area41,650 km2 (16,080 sq mi)
Basin countriesJordan
Israel
Max. length55 km (34 mi)[1]
Max. width18 km (11 mi)[1]
Surface area810 km2 (310 sq mi)
North Basin
Average depth118 m (387 ft)[2]
Max. depth377 m (1,237 ft)
Water volume147 km3 (35 cu mi)[2]
Shore length1135 km (84 mi)
Surface elevation−427 m (−1,401 ft)

Health effects and therapies




The Dead Sea area has become a major center for health research and treatment for several reasons. The mineral content of the water, the very low content of pollens and otherallergens in the atmosphere, the reduced ultraviolet component of solar radiation, and the higher atmospheric pressure at this great depth each have specific health effects. For example, persons experiencing reduced respiratory function from diseases such as cystic fibrosis seem to benefit from the increased atmospheric pressure.[22]

The region's climate and low elevation have made it a popular center for several types of therapies:



Treatment for psoriasis

Climatotherapy at the Dead Sea is an effective therapy for patients with psoriasis,[23] who benefit from sunbathing for long periods in the area due to its position below sea level and subsequent result that many of the sun's harmful UV rays are reduced.


Treatment for rhinosinusitis


Rhinosinusitis patients receiving Dead Sea saline nasal irrigation exhibited significantly better symptom relief compared to standard hypertonic saline spray.





Treatment for osteoarthritis


Dead Sea mud pack therapy has been suggested to temporarily relieve pain in patients with osteoarthritis of the knees. According to researchers of the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, treatment with mineral-rich mud compresses can be used to augment conventional medical therapy.



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Dead Sea

Salt lake


The Dead Sea, also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are 423 metres below sea level, Earth's lowest elevation on land.Wikipedia
Surface elevation-42,300 cm
Area810 km²
Mean depth118 m
Length67.4 km
Width18 km
Volume147 km³

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The Dead Sea

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The Dead Sea Mud is world renowned for it's properties.


Without a doubt the world’s most amazing place, the Jordan Rift Valley is a dramatic, beautiful landscape, which at the Dead Sea, is over 400m (1,312 ft.) below sea level. The lowest point on the face of the earth, this vast stretch of water receives a number of incoming rivers, including the River Jordan. Once the waters reach the Dead Sea they are land-locked and have nowhere to go, so they evaporate, leaving behind a dense, rich, cocktail of salts and minerals that supply industry, agriculture and medicine with some of its finest products.

The Dead Sea is flanked by mountains to the east and the rolling hills of Jerusalem to the west, giving it an almost other-worldly beauty. Although sparsely populated and serenely quiet now, the area is believed to have been home to five Biblical cities: Sodom, Gomorrah, Adman, Zebouin and Zoar (Bela).








If you are planning to combine a visit to the Dead Sea with a diving trip to Aqaba during your stay in Jordan, do the Dead Sea experience first. If you do it the other way around, the small cuts or grazes you may pick up from the coral reefs will soon let you know why this is the better option!


img_spa_terrace.jpg
Health & Wellbeing Spa at the Dead Sea.

One of the most spectacular natural and spiritual landscapes in the world, the Jordanian east coast of the Dead Sea has evolved into a major hub of both religious and health & wellness tourism in the region. A series of good roads, excellent hotels with spa and fitness facilities, as well as archaeological and spiritual discoveries make this region as enticing to today’s international visitors as it was to kings, emperors, traders, prophets and pilgrims in antiquity.






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Unusually high salt content enables one to float effortlessly.

The leading attraction at the Dead Sea is the warm, soothing, super salty water itself – some ten times saltier than sea water, and rich in chloride salts of magnesium, sodium, potassium, bromine and several others. The unusually warm, incredibly buoyant and mineral-rich waters have attracted visitors since ancient times, including King Herod the Great and the beautiful Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra. All of whom have luxuriated in the Dead Sea’s rich, black, stimulating mud and floated effortlessly on their backs while soaking up the water's healthy minerals along with the gently diffused rays of the Jordanian sun.




Amman Touristic Beach

Situated on the Dead Sea main road, two kilometres after the hotels area . Amman Touristic Beach offers swimming pools and changing rooms for low budget travelers and locals for minimal fees. Amman Touristic Beach is an ideal location for beach parties and events.