Top 10 Depressions with the Lowest Dry Land on Earth

1) Dead Sea Depression - The lowest point on Earth Elevation: 413 meters below sea level (approximate and fluctuating) Country: Israel, Jordan, Syria Latitude/Longitude: 31°32′N 35°29′E The Dead Sea Depression is an extensive area of land that is below sea level. It contains the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, a portion of the Jordan River, large areas of cultivated land and many communities. The shoreline of the Dead Sea is the lowest dry land on Earth. It is approximately 413 meters below sea level. However, this elevation is constantly changing. The surface of the Dead Sea rises and falls as precipitation, evaporation, irrigation, salt production and other natural and human activities consume the water of the Jordan River, the Dead Sea and its tributaries.
2) Lake Assal (in the Afar Depression) Elevation: 155 meters below sea level (approximate and fluctuating) Country: Djibouti Latitude/Longitude: 11°39′N 42°25′E The shoreline of Lake Assal is the lowest point in Africa and the second lowest location on Earth. Lake Assal is located in the Afar Depression which is formed at a triple junction of tectonic plates (Indian, African and Arabian). The relative motion of these plates produces a divergence that results in a lowering of Earth's surface. Lake Assal's water emerges from springs which are believed to be fed by ground water flow from the Gulf of Tadjoura. This water evaporates rapidly because the climate there is one of the hottest and driest on Earth. This high evaporation rate makes Lake Assal the saltiest body of water on Earth.
3) Turfan Depression Elevation: 154 meters below sea level (approximate and fluctuating) Country: China Latitude/Longitude: 42°40′N 89°14′E The Turfan Basin is a below sea level area in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of western China. The lowest part of the basin is occupied by Aydingkol Lake. The shoreline of Aydingkol Lake is the third lowest location on Earth. The area is very hot and very dry (it is referred to as one of the "Furnaces of China") and the potential for evaporation far exceeds the amount of annual precipitation. (The shoreline of Aydingkol Lake and the shoreline of Lake Assal are very close to the same elevation and they are both constantly changing. These areas are in close contention for the second and third lowest areas below sea level.)
4) Qattara Depression Elevation: 133 meters below sea level (approximate) Country: Egypt Latitude/Longitude: 29°32′N 27°07′E The Qattara Depression is located in the Libyan Desert of northwestern Egypt. At 133 meters below sea level it is the second lowest point in Africa. The depression has no settlements and other than nomadic herders it supports no commercial activity.
5) Karagiye Depression Elevation: 132 meters below sea level (approximate) Country: Kazakhstan Latitude/Longitude: 43°27′N 51°45′E The Karagiye Depression is located in southwestern Kazakhstan. It has an elevation of approximately 132 meters below sea level.
6) Denakil Depression (in the Afar Depression) Elevation: 125 meters below sea level Country: Ethiopia Latitude/Longitude: 13°16′N 40°54′E The Denakil Depression is a low area within the Afar Depression of Ethiopia. The Afar Depression is formed at a triple junction of tectonic plates (Indian, African and Arabian). The relative motions of the plates produce a divergence that results in the Denakil Depression.
7) San Julían's Great Depression Elevation: 105 meters below sea level Country: Argentina Latitude/Longitude: 49°35′S 68°20′W San Julian's Great Depression is located in southeastern Argentina. It is the lowest land location in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres. The deepest part is Laguna del Carbón, at approximately 105 meters below sea level. The area has abundant salt marshes.
8) Death Valley Elevation: 86 meters below sea level Country: USA Latitude/Longitude: 36°51′N 117°17′W Death Valley is the location of the lowest land elevation in the United States. It is a north-south trending valley between the Amargosa Range on the east and the Panamint Range on the west. Death Valley is part of the Basin and Range Physiographic Province where north-south trending valleys are bounded on both sides by normal faults. The north and south ends of the valley are formed by the Sylvania Mountains and the Owlshead Mountains. The valley is one of the hottest locations in the United States. The record high temperature for the United States was measured there in 1913 at 134 °F (56.7 °C). Death Valley gets very little rain and the deepest part of the valley is generally dry. However, heavy rains can cause flash floods that produce a large lake in the bottom of the valley.
9) Akdzhakaya Depression Elevation: 81 meters below sea level Country: Turkmenistan Latitude/Longitude: 41°02′N 58°18′E The Akdzhakaya Depression is located in north central Turkmenistan. It is a very arid area located in the Karakum Desert.
10) Salton Trough Elevation: 69 meters below sea level Country: USA, Mexico Latitude/Longitude: 33°19′N 115°50′W The Salton Trough is the second lowest depression in the United States. The lowest land in the Salton Trough is along the shoreline of the Salton Sea. The lake level is approximately 69 meters below sea level; however, the lake rises and falls in response to runoff from the New, Whitewater and Alamo Rivers plus some agricultural runoff. The bottom of the Salton Sea is about two meters higher than the bottom of Death Valley.