Ruling out the floors of the oceans, the lowest point in the world is the surface of the Dead Sea (1,296 feet below sea level), which is a salt lake fed by the Jordan River and with no outlet other than evaporation. A full 27 percent of the Dead Sea's water is actually solid substances, including six times more salt (sodium chloride) than is found in ocean water. The solids in the water enable a human body to easily float on the surface.
The lowest point in the Western Hemisphere is Death Valley: 282 feet below sea level at Badwater in southeastern California. This is also the hottest area in the United States; the National Weather Service recorded temperatures here higher than 120° Fahrenheit for 43 consecutive days during the summer of 1917.
