When schoolchildren ask which sea is the s altiest, many adults answer without hesitation: "Red". The answer, unfortunately, is not entirely correct.
The Red Sea is really very s alty. Located in tectonic
The hollow between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, the reservoir washes the shores of several countries at once: Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and several others. Not a single river flows into it, almost no precipitation falls over it (100 mm annually can be ignored). But evaporation exceeds 2000 mm per year. This imbalance causes increased s alt formation: the water in the Red Sea is considered the most s alty in the entire world's oceans. There are 41 milligrams of s alt in every liter of water. The water is so s alty that ships that sank many years ago still lie at the bottom, indestructible: s alt does not allow harmful microorganisms to develop. Science officially confirms: The Red Sea is the s altiest sea in the world.
But, some will argue, the water in the Dead Sea is much s altier. It is known that the amount of s alt in each liter of "dead" waterfrom this body of water ranges from 200 to 275 milligrams per liter of water. It turns out that it is the Dead Sea - the most s alty sea on the planet. After all, everyone knows: the water in it is so “thick” that it is even impossible to dive. And because of the salinity of the water, bathing is allowed only where there is running fresh water (shower stalls): s alt that gets into the eyes can cause mucous burns and blindness.
That's right too.
But… officially the Dead Sea… not the sea at all! This is a large, very s alty, incredibly beautiful lake with powerful healing powers! Its length is less than 70 km, and its width does not exceed 18 kilometers at all.
Only the Jordan River flows into the lake called the Dead Sea. Gradually evaporating, the water recedes farther and farther from the line of the original coast. If this continues, scientists believe, in a few centuries only s alt deposits will remain from this reservoir.
So let's sum it up. The most s alty sea on Earth is the Red Sea. This official information is registered in all scientific reference books. The Dead Sea, despite the fact that its waters contain much more s alt, is not even the s altiest lake on the planet. It is ahead of Lake Assal, located in Djibouti. Its salinity is 35%, while its "rival" has only 27%.
The most s alty sea on the territory of the Russian Federation is the Sea of Japan. Salinity is unevenly distributed in it. Thus, in Peter the Great Bay it reaches 32%, while in other places it decreases slightly.
There is also the s altiest lake in Russia. This is Lake Baskunchak. The salinity of its water is 37% (and in some places - 90%).
Actually, the lake is a large depression at the very top of the s alt mountain, which goes several hundred meters underground with “roots”. Lake Baskunchak also has resorts, but it is known to others: it is the world's largest mining site for the purest s alt.
The lion's share of the lake's surface is a s alt crust that you can walk on. It is difficult to swim here: the “thick” water does not allow you to dive into it, leaving a noticeable s alt mark on the skin. However, it is believed that dosed bathing in the lake is as beneficial as in the Dead Sea.
