Where in the World has the Hottest Temperature Been Recorded?

The World
The hottest temperature ever recorded in the world was at Furnace Creek, in California's Death Valley. (Photo: Wiki Commons)

Where in the world has the hottest temperature been recorded?

On July 10, 1913, the thermometer hit 134 degrees Fahrenheit in the appropriately named Furnace Creek, in California's Death Valley.

Furnace Creek was the undisputed champ until September 13, 1922, when Italian technicians in al-Aziziya, Libya, recorded a whopping 136.4 degrees.

The record held till the downfall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

After that, the original meteorological notes from al-Aziziya became accessible.

And those notes unsettled scientists like Randy Cerveny, professor of geography at Arizona State University, and Rapporteur for Climate Extremes for the World Meteorological Organization.

He was on a panel of experts that decided the instruments and methods employed in Libya were not up to snuff, and the title was taken away from al-Aziziya and officially restored to Death Valley.

And Death Valley is the answer to the geo-quiz.

Cerveny says his expertise on climate extremes is vital for research on climate change.

"I've also been able to prevent a number of bar-fights," he adds. "A lot of people call me to settle arguments that start over a beer in the pub."

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