The Dead Sea, bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west, is a salt lake whose surface and shores are 430.5 meters below sea level, making it Earth's lowest elevation on land. Its capital of Jordan is Amman, and Israel's capital is Jerusalem. The Dead Sea is nearly ten times saltier than the ocean, which makes for a harsh environment where plants and animals cannot flourish—hence its name. This high salinity allows people to float effortlessly on its surface. The lake is receding at an alarming rate of about one meter per year due to the diversion of water from the Jordan River, its main tributary.