What is the hottest place on Earth?
Death Valley in California holds the official record for the hottest air temperature, 56.7°C (134°F), measured in 1913. Deserts in Iran can have even hotter ground surfaces.
The World Meteorological Organization recognizes the reading of 56.7°C at Furnace Creek in Death Valley on July 10, 1913, as the highest air temperature ever recorded. Some climate experts question that old reading, but Death Valley has also reached about 54°C several times in recent decades.
Death Valley is so hot because it lies below sea level, is surrounded by mountains that trap heat and gets very little rain. Hot air sinks back into the valley and warms further. Badwater Basin, about 86 meters below sea level, is the lowest point in North America.
Hottest ground and hottest cities
Satellites have measured land surface temperatures above 70°C in Iran's Lut Desert. Among inhabited places, Dallol in Ethiopia once had one of the highest average temperatures on Earth. Kuwait, Iraq and Pakistan have recorded air temperatures above 50°C.
Did You Know?
A much-quoted 1922 record of 58°C from El Azizia in Libya was officially rejected in 2012 after an investigation found errors in the measurement.