The Dead Sea Is Earth's Lowest Point and Is Rapidly Disappearing

The Dead Sea surface sits about 430 meters below sea level — the lowest point on Earth's land surface. With no outlet, the water is nearly ten times saltier than ocean water, making it impossible for most life to survive. Alarmingly, the sea is shrinking by about one meter per year due to water diversion from the Jordan River.

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https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5798/

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Published: April 8, 2026
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Israel Geography & Nature

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Israel Has the Highest Number of Museums Per Capita in the World

With over 200 museums for a population of roughly 9 million, Israel has more museums per capita than any other country on Earth. These range from world-renowned institutions like the Israel Museum in Jerusalem — home to the Dead Sea Scrolls — to quirky local museums dedicated to everything from toilet history to pickles.

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Israel Is the Only Country in the World to Have Net Tree Gain Over the Last Century

While deforestation has reduced forest cover in most countries over the past 100 years, Israel stands out as the only nation to have more trees at the end of the 20th century than at the beginning. Through massive afforestation programs planting over 240 million trees, Israel transformed vast areas of desert and degraded land into forest.

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Israel Is One of the Few Countries That Drafts Women Into the Military

Israeli women are required by law to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), making Israel one of only a handful of countries with mandatory military service for women. Women serve for two years (men serve three) and can hold combat roles, though many also serve in intelligence, technology, and command positions.

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The Dead Sea Scrolls Were Discovered by a Teenage Shepherd in 1947

In 1947, a Bedouin shepherd boy threw a rock into a cave near the Dead Sea and heard pottery shatter. Inside were clay jars containing the Dead Sea Scrolls — ancient manuscripts dating from 300 BC to 70 AD, including the oldest known copies of nearly every book of the Hebrew Bible. They are among the most important archaeological finds in history.