Robby Hannifan, age 11, of Twin Falls, Ida., for his question:

WHERE IS THE DEAD SEA?

The Dead Sea is a salt lake that is situated between Israel and Jordan. The surface of the Dead Sea is 1,296 feet below sea level, making it the lowest body of water on earth.

The Dead Sea is 47 miles long and has a maximum width of about 10 miles. It covers about 405 square miles and varies in depth from less than 20 feet to almost 1,300.

Nearly six times as salty as the ocean, the Dead Sea contains at a depth of 1,000 feet some 27 percent solid substances including sodium chloride (common salt), magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium bromide and many other substances. Because of the density of solids in the water, the human body easily floats on the surface.

The lake contains no life of any sort except for a few kinds of microbes. Sea fish put into its water soon die.

The Dead Sea is fed mainly by the Jordan River, which enters the lake from the north. Several smaller streams also enter from the sea, chiefly from the east. The lake has no outlet and the heavy inflow of fresh water is carried off solely by evaporation, which is rapid in the hot desert climate.