First on our list of the hottest places on Earth is Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where a temperature of 52°C (125.6°F) was recorded on 22 June 2010.

The heat was a record-high for the region, surpassing the 51°C recorded in nearby Al-Asha three days earlier.

The ancient port city is located in western Saudi Arabia and acts as the principal gateway to Mecca, with a population of over 4.6 million people.

9. Mexicali (Mexico): 52°C (125.6°F)

A temperature of 52°C (125.6°F) was recorded in Mexicali valley, Mexico, on 28 July 1995. This makes it the ninth-hottest temperature recorded anywhere on Earth. The valley has also recorded an all-time low temperature of -7.0ºC (19.4°F)

The area, located in the north of the Mexican state of Baja California, is known for its heat and is even nicknamed ‘The city that captured the Sun’. It has one of the most extreme climates in Mexico, with average July high temperatures of 42.2ºC (108°F), and average January highs of 21.1ºC (70°F).

8. Al Jazeera Border Gate (UAE): 52.1°C (125.8°F)

A temperature of 52.1°C (125.8°F) was recorded at the Al Jazeera Border Gate in the UAE in July 2002.

Back in July 2013, the record-high temperature in the region was nearly matched again (reaching 51.2 degrees Celsius).

Temperatures such as this tend to last just 15 minutes. Anything above 50 degrees Celsius is almost unbearable. Considering it reached 40.3°C in the UK (Coningsby) in July 2022, the temperature in the UAE was over 10 degrees Celsius warmer.

7. Turbat (Pakistan): 53.7°C (128.7°F)

Ranking seventh-hottest on our list is the 53.7°C (128.7°F) that was recorded in Turbat, Pakistan on 28 May 2017.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that the 53.7°C recorded in Turbat was the fourth-hottest temperature ever recorded at the time.

Turbat is known as one of the hottest cities in Asia and is found in the southwest of the Balochistan region of the nation, on the Kech River.

6. Basra (Iraq): 53.9°C (129°F)

The Middle East is a warm part of the world, with a number of record-breaking temperatures climbing above 50 degrees Celsius. Basra, Iraq, is home to one such temperature, recording a high of 53.9°C (129°F) on 22 July 2016.

It matches the heat recorded in Kuwait just a day before (more on that below).

With around 1.5 million people living in the city, Basra is located on the Shatt al-Arab River within the Arabian peninsula.

5. Mitribah (Kuwait): 53.9°C (129°F)

The fifth-highest temperature recorded and verified by the WMO was measured in Mitribah weather station, Kuwait as 53.9°C (129°F).

This ludicrously high heat was recorded on 21 July 2016 and represents the confirmed record hottest place in Asia. It was also the hottest officially-recognised temperature (at the time) for 76 years.

4. Tirat Tsvi (Israel): 54°C (129°F)

Recorded on 21 June 1942, Tirat Tsvi in Israel measured a record-high temperature of 54°C (129°F). The WMO classes Israel as Europe, so it’s officially the highest temperature recorded in the continent, depending on where you place the country.

Located near the Israel-Jordan border, Tirat Tsvi lies just west of the Jordan River. It had a population of just 975 people as of 2021.

3. Ahvaz (Iran): 54°C (129.2°F)

A continent record-high temperature of 54°C (129.2°F) was measured in Ahvaz, Iran between 4:51pm and 5pm local time on 29 June 2017.

Capital of the Khuzestan province of Iran, Ahvaz has a population of around 1.3 million people and dates back to the Achaemenid period. The city is famous for its nine bridges, in particular, the Black Bridge and the White Bridge.

2. Kebili (Tunisia): 55°C (131°F)

The hottest temperature recorded in Africa was measured in Kebili, Tunisia, on 7 July 1931 at 55°C (131°F). It is the second-highest temperature that has been recorded on Earth.

Aside from its continent-breaking record heat, Kebili is also famous for being known as the earliest example of people habiting Tunisia, some 200,000 years ago during the early Palaeothic era. Ancient stone tools have been located near the city.

1. Furnace Creek, Death Valley (USA): 56.7°C (134°F)

The hottest place on Earth is Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California (USA), where a temperature of 56.7°C (134°F) was recorded on 10 July 1913. In summer months, Death Valley has an average daily high of 45°C (113°F).

This is only the air temperature, with surface heat much higher. On 15 July 1972, a ground temperature of 93.9 °C (201 °F) was recorded at Death Valley, only a few degrees off the boiling temperature of water.

Other higher temperatures have been claimed in the years since, but have not been verified. One such pretender to the hottest place on Earth’s crown was recorded in what’s now Libya, in 1922, at 58°C (136°F).

However, in 2012, the World Meteorological Organization concluded that this was “improperly recorded” and was in error by about seven degrees Celsius.

Read more:

• Are the hottest cities in the world becoming uninhabitable thanks to climate change?
• Hotter temperatures could lead to a “mass extinction” of bumblebees
• How to cool down quickly: 4 surprising, science-backed ways to cope with a heatwave

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