Dead Sea: why it is so called and what it is famous for

Along the border with Jordan, between the Judean Mountains and the Moab Plateau, perhaps the most popular landmark of Israel is the unique large lake with the frightening name of the Dead Sea. Why is it so called and why do tourists from all over the world seek to get to its shores, we will discuss further in the article.

Meet the Dead Sea

Standing on the shore of this pond, you can not take your eyes off him. The water surface is incredibly beautiful! Blue-green water, sometimes having a rich emerald color, the mountains reflected in it, and the bright sun in the blue sky - all this does not combine with the gloomy name of the place.

So Why is the Dead Sea so called? On closer examination, it can be found that on the shores of this reservoir, and in itself there is no life. Here there is no fish and arthropods, algae do not grow. True, in this water there are some kinds of fungi and bacteria, but our ancestors did not know about this form of life, therefore they called the sea dead.

The deadliness of its water can be explained by the fact that the percentage of salt content is very high here (300-350 ppm). If, for example, this indicator is compared with the Black Sea, then it reaches only 18 ppm, and in Red - 41.

The same concentration of salt is found only in two water bodies of the Earth - Lake Baskunchak, which is located in the Astrakhan region (about 300 ppm), and on the small Antarctic Lake Don Juan (402 ppm).

Why is the Dead Sea so salty and why is it called so

Dimensions of this lake are considerable: the length is 67 km, and the width in some places reaches 18 km, which is why it was called the sea.

From the north it feeds the Jordan River and some drying up streams, but at the same time not a single river starts here - it turns out a kind of trap for water. As a result of this state of things, as well as intensive evaporation over time, accumulation of various minerals occurred in the reservoir, and the water became very salty.

The sea surrounded by salt

Many tourists want to see the Dead Sea in person. Why is it so called, the visitors understand, coming closer to him and discovering that along the shore there are salt deposits in the islets, the rocks of the coastal rocks are covered with salt, and the Sodom Mountains standing on its southwestern shore are completely composed of it, Covered with a thick gypsum crust.

By the way, these mountains are still growing, because underground pressure through the cracks lifts to the surface of the ground salt, which because of this becomes plastic.

But you understand that this, of course, is not salt. It includes the same minerals that are dissolved in the waters of the world's ocean, but at the same time in an incredible concentration. Therefore, for most living beings, the Dead Sea is deadly dangerous.

For example, a fish that accidentally swims from the Jordan River, immediately dies in this brine, and the waves throw it ashore to the great joy of the birds arriving here for refreshments.

Than Dangerous

Since ancient times there is a legend that the Dead Sea bears death to anyone who tries to swim over it or dip into its waters. With the last statement you can argue, but why the Dead Sea is called dead for those who swim in the boat, it is understandable - the density of water due to the high concentration of salt here is such that it pushes any object immersed in it, so the boats are likely to turn over.

But the person who finds himself in this water does not sink. Yes, yes, in the Dead Sea you can lie on a quiet surface of water and read a magazine, because dense water does not let it sink into its thickness. By the way, you can swim here only on your back or on your side. Swim on the stomach will not work, the water will persistently turn the swimmer on his back.

What else is called

Arguing why the Dead Sea was called dead, it is worth remembering that he has other names. For example, it is called Asphalt. This is due to the fact that asphalt was extracted from the bottom of the lake, which periodically rose to the surface of the water. It was used in the construction of ships, for resin, as well as for mummification. The last time an asphalt block weighing a ton has risen from the bottom of the Dead Sea in the 60s of last century.

In addition, this pond is called the Sea of Lot, or Sodom. According to the Bible, it was formed on the site of the infamous city of Sodom, destroyed for countless sins of its inhabitants by a fiery rain. Only one righteous man named Lot could escape in that terrible catastrophe. By the way, that's why hotly believing Christians and Jews do not dive into the water of the Dead Sea and do not use cosmetics made from its salt.

Useful salts

We learned why the Dead Sea is called dead, and now we will tell about its usefulness. In it for millennia, many unique minerals have accumulated. They include chlorides of calcium, sodium, magnesium, as well as many bromides. This set of salts has a wonderful property - they are able to treat a variety of skin diseases (especially psoriasis), improve the blood circulation, relieve muscle tension and fight the pathology of the joints.

By the way, the useful properties of these minerals were discovered even in ancient times. Not for nothing is the bath with the use of Dead Sea salts called Cleopatra's bathroom.

And the climate of this area, which lies much lower than the level of the world ocean (-416 m), significantly enhances the curative effect on the human body. All this taken together attracts to the shores of the miraculous sea-lake a lot of tourists who want to improve their health.

A few tips for tourists traveling to the Dead Sea

Why it is so called, it is amazing for medicinal qualities, but still the dead sea, you can feel on yourself, if you do not take all the precautions and do not take into account the local characteristics of the rest.

To improve your health, not aggravate the problems, remember:

• The water in the lake is very corrosive, therefore it takes no more than 15 minutes to swim;
• Dead Sea water can be poisoned - do not swallow it, and the spray sprayed by you can get into the eyes of you and other vacationers, which threatens serious injury to mucous and painful consequences;
• If such a nuisance does happen, be sure to rinse your eyes in the showers with fresh water on the shore;
• While resting here, do not forget about a plentiful drink that will not allow your body to lose a lot of liquid during bathing in brine;
• Be on a local beach for more than three hours is unsafe for health;
• The Dead Sea (why it is so called, the reader is probably already clear) is constantly retreating and leaving behind a shaky mud on top of which a crust is formed that seems hard from a distance, but if you step on it, you can fall into a black slime, and to avoid this, It is worthwhile to walk only along the designated paths and swim only on the equipped beaches.

By the way, metal objects before taking a bath are best removed, because the water of the Dead Sea leads to corrosion of the metal.

The Dead Sea can die!

Nowadays, it's not necessary to think long, looking at the Dead Sea, why it is so called. This unique corner of nature can die in the coming years. Researchers predict him not more than 80 years of existence, and then the sea will die for real.

The fact is that every year it grows smaller by 1 m, because in its environs, either because of natural anomalies, or as a result of people's activity, the groundwater level has significantly decreased, which led to the appearance of underground cavities and dips. So, you need to save a unique pond and hurry to visit it, while it is still able to give your healing power!