The Dead Sea is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are 430.5 meters below sea level, making it Earth's lowest elevation on land. With a salinity of approximately 34%, it is nearly ten times as salty as the ocean. This extreme salt concentration creates a harsh environment where plants and animals cannot flourish, hence its name. However, this same salinity allows humans to float effortlessly on the water's surface. The sea is also famous for its mineral-rich mud used in therapeutic and cosmetic treatments. In recent decades, the Dead Sea has been shrinking at an alarming rate due to the diversion of water from the Jordan River and mineral extraction, leading to the appearance of thousands of sinkholes along its receding coastline.