The Hottest Places on Earth
The hottest air temperature ever reliably measured was 56.7°C (134°F) in Death Valley — but satellites have clocked the Lut Desert's ground at 80.8°C (177°F). Both are “the hottest place on Earth”; they just measure different things. Here is the full ranking — by air temperature, by land-surface temperature, and by where people actually live.
The internet can't agree on the hottest place on Earth, and the reason is a measurement mix-up. Half the articles say Death Valley; the other half say “actually, the Lut Desert is hotter.” Both are right, because they are quietly answering different questions.
What a weather station measures in shade, ~1.5 m above the ground. This is the number the record books use. World record: 56.7°C, Death Valley.
How hot the ground itself gets, measured by satellite. Always far higher than the air. Record: 80.8°C, Lut Desert & Sonoran Desert.
Keep those two apart and the confusion disappears. Below, we rank the hottest places under each definition — plus the hottest places where people actually live year-round, which is a third question again.
Hottest by Air Temperature (the Record Books)
These are the highest air temperatures ever measured at a weather station, hottest first. This is the metric behind “the hottest temperature ever recorded.” All are WMO-recognised or widely documented readings.
The world record, set on 10 July 1913. Some meteorologists question the 1913 reading, but the WMO still recognises it as the official highest air temperature on Earth.
Set on 7 July 1931 — the WMO-recognised record for the continent of Africa. An oasis town whose summer monthly averages routinely top 40°C.
Reached in August 2020 and again in July 2021 — the highest reliably measured temperature anywhere on Earth in roughly 90 years, still under formal WMO review.
A 1942 reading long cited as Asia’s record, though modern review treats early-20th-century figures cautiously.
Set on 21 July 2016 — the WMO-accepted modern record for Asia, and one of the most reliably documented extreme readings on the planet.
Set on 28 May 2017, tying near the top of Asia’s reliably measured extremes.
For the US and global picture in more depth, see the hottest temperatures ever recorded.
Hottest by Land-Surface Temperature (What Satellites See)
Land-surface temperature is how hot the ground itself becomes — the reading you'd get pointing an infrared thermometer at bare sand. It runs dramatically hotter than the air, which is why these numbers look almost unbelievable.
The highest land-surface temperature ever recorded by satellite (MODIS, 2002–2019). Black volcanic sand and a mountain-ringed basin trap and radiate heat.
Tied with the Lut Desert in the same 2002–2019 satellite survey — the two hottest ground surfaces measured on Earth.
NASA’s earlier 2003–2009 MODIS survey found this figure — still the record at the time, and a reminder that surface temperatures dwarf air temperatures.
To put 80.8°C in perspective: that is hot enough to cook an egg on contact and well above the temperature of a very hot bath — but it is the ground, not the air you would breathe standing on it.
Hottest Inhabited Places on Earth
Records are set on freak afternoons; a different question is where people endure heat year-round. By average annual temperature, these are the hottest permanently populated spots on the planet.
The hottest inhabited place on Earth by average annual temperature (recorded 1960–1966). A below-sea-level volcanic basin where daily highs sit in the 40s year-round.
One of the hottest permanently populated towns on Earth, with summer monthly averages regularly above 40°C alongside its 55°C record.
A staffed National Park settlement that averages a July high near 47°C and holds the world air-temperature record.
Why These Places Get So Hot
The hottest places on Earth share a recipe, and it is not simply “near the equator.” The equator is cloudy and humid; the true furnaces sit in the dry subtropics. Four ingredients recur:
- The subtropical high. Around 20–30° latitude, sinking air suppresses clouds and rain. Relentless sun on a cloudless sky is the engine behind Death Valley, the Sahara and the Middle Eastern deserts.
- Below-sea-level basins. Death Valley (−86 m), the Danakil Depression (−125 m) and the Lut basin all sit low, where air is denser, compresses, and heats — and where hot air pools with nowhere to drain.
- Bone-dry air. With almost no moisture, none of the sun's energy goes into evaporating water — it all goes into raw heat. Humidity is why the Amazon never gets this hot.
- Dark, dry surfaces. The Lut Desert's black volcanic sand absorbs sunlight instead of reflecting it, which is why its surfaceshatters records the paler Sahara does not.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hottest place on Earth?
By air temperature, Death Valley (56.7°C / 134°F, 1913) — the official WMO world record. By land-surface temperature, Iran's Lut Desert (80.8°C / 177°F, by satellite). They measure different things, so both titles stand.
Is Death Valley or the Lut Desert hotter?
Death Valley holds the air-temperature record; the Lut Desert holds the land-surface record. Surface temperatures are always much higher than air temperatures, so the two aren't directly comparable — each is the hottest by its own measure.
What is the hottest temperature ever recorded?
56.7°C (134°F), Death Valley, 10 July 1913 — the highest air temperature the WMO recognises. The hottest land-surface reading is 80.8°C in the Lut and Sonoran deserts.
What is the hottest inhabited place on Earth?
Dallol, Ethiopia, by average annual temperature (~34.6°C over 1960–1966). Kebili in Tunisia and Furnace Creek in Death Valley are close behind, with summer averages above 40°C.
Keep Exploring
Go deeper on the hottest temperatures ever recorded, see the continental picture in Europe's hottest temperatures and the hottest places in Europe, dig into the lived climate of America's hot spot at Death Valley National Park, or browse all our weather records.
Sources
Air-temperature extremes are from the WMO Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes. Land-surface temperatures are from NASA and the 2002–2019 MODIS satellite study published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (80.8°C in the Lut and Sonoran deserts). Dallol's annual-mean figure is from 1960–1966 records for the Danakil Depression. Figures are the highest reliably documented values; historical readings such as the 1913 Death Valley record remain subject to scientific debate.