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A search for "lowest point on earth" quickly showed that the shoreline of the Dead Sea, on the border of Israel and Jordan in the Middle East, is the lowest land area on Earth. The altitude of the Dead Sea shoreline is approximately 1,300 feet (400 meters) below sea level. The lowest point on Earth is getting even lower. According to an article on Middle East Online, the Dead Sea was 1,293 feet below sea level 40 years ago, but today it's 1,360 feet below sea level. The Friends of the Earth
- Middle East environmental organization says the Dead Sea's water level is dropping by about three feet (one meter) every year. Researchers point to development in the region as the cause of the problem. Dams, reservoirs, and irrigation systems have diverted water from rivers that once fed the sea, greatly reducing the water that flows into it. Mineral extraction has also lowered the Dead Sea water levels. While this news isn't great for the area, it does secure the Dead Sea's claim as the lowest point on Earth not covered with water.
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