WORLD’S HOTTEST PLACE
DEATH VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
If you were to step outside on one of the hottest days in Death Valley, you wouldn’t be able to feel the sweat on your skin due to its almost-instant evaporation. The tall mountain ranges that surround Death Valley – a desert valley that stretches over the border of California and Nevada – trap intense heat throughout the summer season. Here, less than five centimetres of rain falls annually, meaning the ground heats up quickly and the temperature builds between the mountains.
The valley regularly produces an air temperature of 49 degrees Celsius in shaded areas and is the site of the world’s highest recorded air temperature of 57 degrees Celsius. This event took place at Furnace Creek on 10 July 1913. As Earth’s changing climate produces higher temperatures, the number of days that some residents of Death Valley are forced to spend inside air-conditioned homes is increasing. Contrary to its name, there is life in Death Valley. One of the most common animals that lives there is the roadrunner. Roadrunners are small birds with high body temperatures, helping them endure the heat of the valley. Because their body temperatures are naturally 40 degrees Celsius, the intense heat doesn’t impact their biology as much.
EARTH’S COLDEST CORNERS
ANTARCTICA
Because of the little direct sunlight hitting the icy landscapes of Antarctica, this continent is where the coldest spot in the world can be found, with temperatures low enough to freeze human skin within minutes.
