Quite unlike what its name suggests, the Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is very large and covers a total area of 166 square kilometres. Interestingly, the water level in the lake is far below sea level. This makes Galilee the lowest freshwater lake on the Earth and the second-lowest lake in the world after the Dead Sea. The main source of the lake is the Jordan River.
Although there are geographical peculiarities, the Sea of Galilee is most famous for its religious significance. It plays an important role in Christianity as it was the scene of many episodes in the life of Jesus Christ, including his Sermon on the Mount at where he first taught the Lord’s Prayer.
It was also the site of the first Jewish kibbutz settlement Deganya, established in 1909. Throughout the history, the lake has been called by different names. In the Old Testament it appeared as the ‘Sea of Kinneret’.
As it is a beautiful religious site, there are pilgrims as well as tourists visiting the region for most parts of the year. The hiking trail called Jesus Trail is one major attraction here. Another is the site where the lake flows into the Jordan River.
