If you've ever pondered where the most awe-inspiring places on Earth are to be found, there will soon be a handy checklist to take on your international adventures, thanks to The7wonders.com competition.

The The7wonders.com photographs are glimpses of the most sublime landscapes in the world. Contenders include the Galapagos Islands, the Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef.

The Dead Sea is a finalist in the competition, which is being touted as "democratic". Everybody has the opportunity to have their say by logging on to the site and selecting a list of seven of their own favourites from the 28 finalists.

The Dead Sea is a salt lake stretching across the borders of West Lake, Palestine and Israel to the West and Jordan to the East. The sea tallies up impressive statistics: the surface and the shores are 1,384ft below sea level, making this the lowest elevation of the Earth's surface on land and is 1,240ft deep. This makes The Dead Sea the deepest hyper-saline lake in the world. The lake is also 33.7% salt, 8.6 times as salty as oceans. The high salt content makes the area uninhabitable, accounting for the macabre name.

Although The Dead Sea does not sustain life, it does improve the lives of those with skin disorders such as psoriasis, acne, eczema, scabies, dermatitis and seborrhoea as the sea has an extremely high mineral content and low pollution levels.

The Dead Sea has been considered a place of healing since the time of Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher who praised its remarkable properties. People flock from around the world to bathe in the healing waters and to rub black mineral mud onto their bodies. Even cosmetic companies attempt to bottle up the natural goodness and sell anti-wrinkle products on the same basis.

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