The Dead Sea is located between the countries of Isreal and Jordan and is 304m (997ft) below sea level, which makes it Earth's lowest point on land. Due to its low elevation, waterflows in from the surrounding area, evaporates, and leaves behind deposits. This has caused it to become one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water with about 34% salt—9.6x the salinity of the ocean. This water is unable to support any life except for certain bacteria and microbial fungi. This sample was collected directly from the Dead Sea.