10 hottest places on Earth: list, temperature

It’s hard to hide from the heat when temperatures break another record. For a long time, California’s Death Valley, which was considered the hottest place on Earth, held the palm of superiority. However, meteorologists have turned their attention to the other hottest place on the planet – the Deshte Lut Desert in Iran. It turned out that it has long been giving out temperature records that no one has ever recorded before.

In 2021, NASA researchers decided to measure not only the air temperature. The object of measurement was also the temperature of the Earth’s surface. According to their data, the Desert Desert Desert and the North American desert Sonora heated up to 80.8 ° C! Now the famous Death Valley has moved to third place in the ranking of the hottest places in the world.

Deshte Lut Desert, Iran
The city of El Aziziya, Libya.
Death Valley, California, USA
The city of Kelibia, Tunisia
Mitribah Meteorological Station, Kuwait
Tirat Tzvi Settlement, Israel
Turpan, China
Sahara Desert, North Africa
Sonora Desert, Mexico-United States border
Queensland, Australia

Sisällysluettelo

Desert of Deshte Lut, Iran

Record high: +70.7°C.

Deshte Loot is now the hottest place on the planet. This vast stretch of glowing sands is located in the provinces of Kerman and Sistan-Baluchestan. The sandy-solonchak desert of Deshte Lut is a real scorcher, where there seems to be no place for living things to exist. However, scanty vegetation is still present. And at night, small rodents come out to hunt.

The hottest place in the world surprises not only with its climate. The Shur River, which never dries up, flows here. Its water is considered to be the saltiest on Earth. In the driest season, the river narrows greatly, and the salt forms crystals of incredible beauty, which sparkle like diamonds.

It is quite rare for motorists to travel along the unfriendly desert highway. Taking into account that even metal melts at such heat, such a trip is very dangerous. Plateau Gandom Berjan is considered one of the hottest places. In the past, caravaners were careful not to go near this place, which radiates a brutal heat. Yardangs are the one and only decoration of the Deshté Lout desert. The bizarrely shaped mounds of sand, which are driven by the constant wind, amaze with their unusual beauty. In 2005, the highest temperature on Earth was recorded in the desert – +70.7°C.

Desert of Deshte Lut

The city of El Aziziya, Libya

Record high: +58.2°C.

The city is located a few dozen kilometers from Tripoli, the capital of the country. The small city is under the hot sun all year round. There is almost no rainfall here, and the full-blooded life of El Azizia is possible only at night. The city stands on the plateau Sahel-Jeffar, the only historical monument is the Berber fortress. It was built more than 1000 years ago, and it served as a kind of shelter from the unbearable heat. Due to its convenient geographical location, El Azizia became a center of trade routes. On September 13, 1922, the highest temperature at that time was recorded here – +58.2°C. But the World Meteorological Organization still does not recognize the record, believing that the measurement was inaccurate.

The city of El Aziziyah

Death Valley, California, USA

Record low: +56.7°C.

This intermountain depression is located in the Mojave Desert and Great Basin region. Curiously, the canyons and arid landscape of Death Valley once appealed to Hollywood directors. Scenes from the famous “Star Wars” were filmed here. Sacred horror is caused by the deserted area of Racetrack Playa. A huge number of stones of different sizes are always in motion. The reason for such a phenomenon no one has yet been able to explain.

Despite the grim name, Death Valley serves as a haven for coyotes, bobcats, cougars, turtles and birds. This is Death Valley National Park, 95% of which is considered wilderness. Development is hampered by dry weather and terrible heat. Every year the state government warns tourists against independent hiking in the park, which extends over 13,500 m². The maximum recorded air temperature is more than +56°C, it happened on July 10, 1913. And the average annual temperature in Death Valley does not fall below +25°C.

Death Valley

The town of Kelibia, Tunisia

Record high: +55°C.

It is located at the top of the Cap Bon peninsula. Kelibia is a quite modern town, considered an important fishing port. It is also known for its wine production. The scorching heat does not scare away numerous tourists: there are beautiful beaches with clean sand and all the benefits of civilization on the sea coast. One of the attractions of Kelibia is the fortress, founded in the times of Carthage. It is well preserved and is a unique historical monument.

City of Kelibia

Mitribah Meteorological Station, Kuwait

Record high: +54°C.

It is located in the northwest of the country. The air here is so hot that it makes breathing difficult. Motorists try to avoid this area: at such hellish temperature even metal melts. And the interior gets as hot as a well-heated sauna. Global warming is only worsening the climate, and forecasters expect another record temperature rise.

Mitribach weather station

Tirat Tzvi settlement, Israel

Record high: +53.9°C.

This sparsely populated area is located in the Beit Shean Valley. Even the Jordan River does not hide the extremely hot climate. Nevertheless, Tirat Tzvi is the main producer of dates in the country. The settlement is located on the very edge of the desert, and each house here has a canopy that casts shade. The dwellings are often equipped with so-called “drip pans”, which are mattresses on which water from a hose constantly pours in streams. Surprisingly, in winter the air temperature here drops to 0°C.

Tirat-Tsvi settlement

Turpan, China

Record high: +52.2°C.

The city is located in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Turpan is referred to as the “land of fire” by locals. Despite the arid conditions, the city is considered the grape capital of modern China. Of particular interest is the irrigation system, which was built more than 2000 years ago. In the distant past, the famous Silk Road passed through here. As a result of the titanic labor of the inhabitants Turpan was turned into an oasis and made popular for tourists. On July 16, 2023, a temperature of +52.2°C was recorded here, which was a record for China.

Turpan

Sahara Desert, North Africa

Record high: +51.3°C.

It is located in the north of the continent and has an area of 8.6 million km². Numerous oases in the Sahara revitalize the desert. Here date palms are gaining strength, animals and birds are found in sufficient numbers. Of particular interest is the Saharan cheetah, the number of which, alas, is noticeably decreasing. In the Sahara desert there is the plateau of Tassili n’Ajjer, which is considered a monument of ancient art of Tuaregs. Rock paintings and engravings, according to scientists, were made more than 1,000 years ago. In 2018, the temperature record for the entire history of desert climate observations was set here – +51.3°C.

Sahara Desert

Sonora Desert, on the border of Mexico and the United States

Record high: +50°C.

It occupies part of the Great Basin and the Gulf Coast of California. The sandy and stony Sonora Desert is home to giant cacti, which grow here like trees and sometimes reach a height of 20 meters. The saguaro cactus has become the symbol of the desert. Surprisingly, the huge cacti are inhabited by owls. The giants of the flora world are protected by the state. And for destroying a cactus you can get a solid prison sentence: 25 years behind bars. In the Sonora Desert, there is also the Saguaro National Park, where the prickly pear, the night blossom organ and the pipe organ grow.

Sonora Desert

Queensland, Australia

Record high: +49.5°C.

This state is located in the north-east of the country. The monstrous heat makes the region extremely arid. However, this weather does not affect the wildlife in any way. The state of Queensland is rightly considered poisonous because of the huge number of dangerous snakes and spiders that feel at ease here. However, the locals have long since gotten used to the heat and do not experience any particular difficulties.

Queensland