At 70.7 degrees Celsius (159 F) Kavir e Loot in Iran has the record for the highest temperature reached on the Earth’s surface, according to NASA satellite measurements. For comparison, the recommended setting for home hot water tanks is in the 50-60 degrees range. A two second exposure to 65 degree Celsius water will cause scalding. Before the 2004 and 2005 NASA satellite results, some desert experts claimed that Death Valley, USA or Rub’ al Khaali in Saudi Arabia were the best place to hang your wet laundry. However years ago research by Professor Parviz Kardavani, founder of the Iranian Desert and Kavir Research Center had already placed Kavir e Loot as the hottest place on Earth. He had found that some areas the Kavir support no life at all–not even bacteria! The NASA result corroborates Dr. Kardavani’s conclusion.
The above image is a temperature map of our planet where brighter color means hotter temperature. The brightest spot on the map is known as the “Chaaleh e Markazi e Loot.” Don’t go there during your Iran vacation. Az maa goftan.
