What is the hottest place on Earth? This is the valley with the highest temperatures.
From the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere, high temperatures can affect any part the globe.
Whether you measure it in Celsius or Fahrenheit, sometimes the temperature outside can become unbearable. It might even feel as if the thermometer could burst at any moment from the heat.
The coldest place in the world is the Eastern Antarctic Plateau, which reaches -94 degree Celcius, or -137.2 degrees Fahrenheit, according to newscientist.com.
On the flip side, which location in the world surpasses all others when it comes to heat?
What is the hottest place on Earth?
Death Valley is known for having "the highest air temperature on the planet," according to science.org. The Furnace Creek area in this part of the California desert reached a sweltering 134.1 degrees Fahrenheit, or 56.7 degrees Celsius, on July 10, 1913.
On average, summer temperatures in Death Valley often exceed 113 degrees Fahrenheit, or 45 degrees Celsius.
However, in 2021, the Lut Desert in Iran and the Sonoran Desert along the Mexico-U.S. border both recorded blistering surface temperatures of 177.4 degrees Fahrenheit, or 80.8 degrees Celsius, says science.org.
Air temperatures are impacted by circulation of the rising and sinking of air masses into the atmosphere, as well as from wind movement across the landscape, according to NASA. Land skin temperature, on the other hand, is dictated by "radiation from the sun, the atmosphere, and other heat flows," says NASA.
Thus, surface temperature could be hotter than air temperatures.
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What is the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth?
According to Guinness World Records, Death Valley still holds the record for the highest recorded temperature on Earth.
The official highest recorded temperature is 134 degrees Fahrenheit, or 56.7 degrees Celsius, measured on July 10, 1913 at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley.
The ground temperature of Death Valley has measured even hotter. On July 15, 1972, the surface temperature reached 201 degrees Fahrenheit; "just 11 degrees away from the boiling point of water," says Guinness World Records.
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Can you live in Death Valley?
Yes, you can live in Death Valley. But, just 576 people reside in the hottest place on Earth, according to the New York Times.
Death Valley is the largest U.S. National Park outside of Alaska and spans over 3.4 million acres, says the National Park Service. Ninety-three percent of the park is "protected as officially designated Wilderness."
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How hot is too hot for humans?
When the human body becomes overheated several adverse reactions could occurs, including experiencing dehydration or, worse, heat stroke, according to the Mayo Clinic.
According to a 2010 study, the temperature humans can experience until it is considered too hot is 35 degrees Celsius, which is equal to 95 degrees Fahrenheit at 100% humidity or 115 degrees Fahrenheit at 50% humidity.
This is considered the "upper limit of safety, beyond which the human body can no longer cool itself by evaporating sweat from the surface of the body to maintain a stable body core temperature," says scientificamerican.com.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where is the hottest place on Earth? This valley has the highest temps.
