The top 10 hottest places on Earth in 2024

Despite the current heatwave affecting parts of Australia, its temperatures are far from reaching the world's highest recorded temperatures. Here is a look at some of the highest temperatures ever recorded globally.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, recorded a staggering 52 degrees Celsius on June 22, 2010, which remains the highest temperature ever recorded in Saudi Arabia. Mexicali, Mexico, located on the Mexican side of the California border, reached an unbearable 52 degrees Celsius as early as 1995. This region is one of the areas with the highest average temperatures in Mexico, with an average high of 42.2 degrees Celsius in July. A desert area on the border between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia recorded a high of 52.1 degrees Celsius in July 2002.

Turbat, Pakistan, reached a high of 53.7 degrees Celsius on May 28, 2017. Turbat is a city located on the left bank of the Kech River in southern Balochistan. Basra, Iraq, once known as the "Venice of Iraq," reached 53.9 degrees Celsius on July 22, 2016. Mitribah, Kuwait, also reached a high of 53.9 degrees Celsius in 2016, matching Iraq's record and considered by the World Meteorological Organization as one of the highest temperatures recorded in nearly 76 years. Tirat Zvi, Israel, located near the Israel-Jordan border, recorded a maximum temperature of 54 degrees Celsius.

The Iranian city of Ahvaz twice reached a staggering 54 degrees Celsius, in 2016 and 2017 respectively, slightly higher than Tirat Zvi in Israel. The city also faces severe air pollution, which means that heatwaves can be deadly and pose extreme health risks to citizens. Kebili, Tunisia, holds the second-highest temperature in the world with a record of 55 degrees Celsius, which occurred in 1931. Death Valley, a desert valley located in eastern California, is the lowest, driest, and hottest area in North America, and is also considered one of the hottest places on Earth.

On July 10, 1913, Death Valley recorded the highest temperature ever recorded, reaching 56.7 degrees Celsius. In 1972, the ground temperature reached 93.9 degrees Celsius, hot enough to cook an egg. These extreme high temperature records reveal the grim reality of global climate change and also serve as a warning that people need to pay more attention to environmental protection and the impact of climate change.