Hottest Place on Earth

Earth is one of the most fascinating planet in the Solar System, not just because it supports life, but also because of the numerous extremes present on the planet. On one hand, we have the freezing regions of Antarctica and the Himalayas, while on the other, we have the scorching regions of Sahara and Mojave deserts. The fact that the heating effect of the Sun is maximum at the equator does make many people wonder, "Is the equator the hottest place on earth?" Though the answer is 'no', it is not convincing enough without an explanation about the hottest place on the planet.

Where is the Hottest Place on Earth?

There are quite a few interpretations about the phrase hottest place on Earth. Some assume that the hottest place is the one which features the highest recorded temperature on the planet, while some believe that the hottest place should be the one which has an average high temperature. Let's assume that there are two places, 'place A' with an average temperature of 110° F and 'place B' which has recorded a temperature of 130° F, at some point of time. The first group believes that place B is the hottest place, based on the temperature recorded at a single point of time, while other group believes that consistently high temperatures make place A, the hottest place on the planet.

El Azizia: Place With the Highest Recorded Temperature in the World
El Azizia, in Libya holds the distinction of having the highest recorded temperature on the planet. On September 13, 1922, the temperature of this city was 136.04° F (57.8° C). Even though it's quite hot here, the city is a major trade center for the region, owing to its strategic location. As of 2009, the estimated population of El Azizia has crossed the 300,000 mark, thus making it the hottest place on Earth where people live.

Death Valley: Place With the Highest Recorded Temperature in North America
The Death Valley is a desert, situated within the Mojave desert in North America. On July 10, 1913, temperature of 134° F (56.6° C) was recorded in this region. This makes the Death Valley, the place with the second highest recorded temperature on Earth and highest recorded temperature in North America.

Though many people believe that El Azizia is the hottest place on Earth, and a few others claim that the Death Valley is the hottest in the world, the honor of actually being the hottest place goes to Dallol, Ethiopia.

Dallol: Place with the Highest Average Temperature
If the average temperature of a place is taken into consideration, the distinction of being the current hottest place goes to Dallol, Ethiopia. This place holds the record for the average highest temperature of a place without human settlement. The average temperature of this place is 93.92° F (34.4° C), due to which Dallol qualifies as the hottest place on the Earth, the year round. The place, being unsuitable for human settlement, has been declared as a Ghost Town by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia. The only means of transportation to the place are camels, as there are no roads and the railways, which operated to this place, during the first quarter of the 20th century were destroyed during the second World War. Another interesting fact is that Ethiopia is the hottest country in the world.

Though the places mentioned above are some of the hottest places on the planet, researchers assume that there are places which must be even hotter. For instance, the surface temperature recorded by a NASA satellite showed that the hottest place on Earth is the Lut desert, Iran, with a temperature of 159° F (71° C). The fact that this temperature was measured by a satellite and not recorded using the instruments which are normally used, on the Earth, disqualifies it from the list of contenders for the hottest place on Earth.