Summer is gradually getting closer, and temperatures are climbing. But thankfully, they’re nowhere close to the hottest place on Earth – the aptly named Death Valley, California, US – where, in 1913, the air temperature was recorded at an unprecedented 56.7 degrees Celsius.
Click start to play today’s Spell It and feel the “heat”.
Here are some other places around the world that are absolutely scorching:
1. Lut Desert
With colossal sand dunes and dramatic plateaus, this salty desert in Iran is where the hottest-ever surface temperature has been recorded, according to US space agency Nasa. While air temperatures are moderated by circulation and tend to be cooler, ‘land skin’ temperatures (LST) are influenced by radiation from the sun, the surface of the soil, and other factors that make temperature readings significantly higher. Using LST, scientists recorded the highest surface temperature on earth in this desert, at 70.7 degrees Celsius in 2005.
2. Queensland, Australia
In 2003, Nasa satellites recorded a temperature of 69.3 degrees Celsius in the shrublands of Queensland, Australia. The region is known to be vast, in a reddish hue, with shrubs dotting the terrain and no shade to be found under the merciless sun.
3. Al Azizia, Libya
This northwestern Libyan town has long been considered to have the hottest temperature recorded on Earth, until it was disproved in 2012. Even so, the region is known to show extreme heat readings, thanks to its rolling deserts and often cloudless skies. Still, over 25,000 people call the town their home, and often beat the heat by running their errands in the evenings, when it’s more tolerable outside.
4. Flaming Mountains, China
Within the Taklamakan Desert, this range of mountains routinely breaks 50 degrees Celsius. With heat radiating from its brittle red rocks, the temperature often feels hotter – for instance, a 2008 soil surface reading revealed the temperature to be 66.7 degrees Celsius! Locals in the region ward off the heat by wearing silks and even bamboo clothing. Bamboo is also used to cover beds and provide shade for car seats. Residents also drink mung bean juice, which is thought to cool down core temperature.
Which is the hottest place you have ever visited? Play today’s Spell It and let us know at games@gulfnews.com.
