Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea (pronunciation: /dɛd si:/; from Hebrew: יָם הַמֶּלַח, Yām HaMélaḥ, "Sea of Salt", and Arabic: البحر الميت, Al-Bahr al-Mayyit, "The Dead Sea"), is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and Palestine to the west. Its surface and shores are 430.5 metres (1,412 ft) below sea level, Earth's lowest elevation on land.
Etymology
The name Dead Sea is direct translation of the Greek Νεκρὰ Θάλασσα (Nekra Thalassa). The biblical name Yam HaMelach (Sea of Salt) is indicative of its high mineral content.
Description
The Dead Sea is one of the world's saltiest bodies of water, with a salinity of 34.2% – it is 9.6 times as salty as the ocean. This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which plants and animals cannot flourish, hence its name. The high salinity prevents macroscopic aquatic organisms such as fish and aquatic plants from living in it, though minuscule quantities of bacteria and microbial fungi are present.
Health Effects
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 other allergens in the atmosphere, the reduced ultraviolet component of solar radiation, and the higher atmospheric pressure at this great depth each have specific health effects.
Related Terms
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Dead Sea
- Wikipedia's article - Dead Sea
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski