The Hottest Places in the World

While the hottest spot on Earth may vary or move from year to year, the conditions that give rise to it continue as before: dry, rocky and dark hued grounds are great at absorbing heat while lighter sand will have a tendency to reflect more sunlight. Here's a rundown of the hottest places in the world.

Death Valley, USA

California's Death Valley holds the record for the highest reliably reported air temperature on the planet, 56.7°C in July, 1913. In midsummer the desert area averages around 47°C and is the driest spot in the US. Hardly the nature you would hope to discover trekking trails, resorts, and a bewilderingly green golf course. Ringed by mountains, Death Valley dives to 86m beneath ocean level, which explains the extreme heat.

Al-Aziziyah, Libya

Drive 40km south of Tripoli and you'll reach Al-Aziziyah, where - on September 13, 1922 - the world encountered its hottest air temperature ever recorded: 57.8°C. That is, until the World Meteorological Organisation declared in 2012 that the recording was invalid for various reasons, one of which was that the record keeper on that day was not the typical employee but rather an unpracticed observer. This decision gave the record heat to Death Valley, California, for its 56.7°C temperature.

Dallol, Ethiopia

At Dallol, in the Denakil Sadness, Africa dips to a depth of 116m beneath ocean level, and the temperature takes off. Dallol has the world's highest average temperature for an occupied spot, calculated at 34.6°C. Head over the salt plain to the Dallol volcano, the lowest on earth, if that is not sufficiently hot for you. Cooling temperatures from November to spring make a winter visit more viable.

Dasht-e Lut, Iran

In 2004 and 2005, this desert plateau recorded the year's most elevated surface temperature, breaking the 70C barrier. Combined with the heat, the Dasht-e Lut competes with Chile's Atacama Desert for the title of the world's driest spot, and over a vast region of the central Lut not a single creature survives, even microscopic organisms. The desert's east has awesome guest potential, with excellent wind-sculpted dunes ascending to heights of 500m.