Wiekes Weetjes: the 10 hottest places on Earth

Don't get me wrong: I love summer. But I find it quite intense this year. This is probably mostly because I still have a small apartment where the heat has nowhere to go (fortunately, I'm moving soon): anything above 20 degrees feels like a sauna at home. I also have the impression that this summer we have really had an extreme number of hot days, which is lovely when you're sitting on a terrace in Spain with a sangria, but a bit less so when you're stuck in Amsterdam during the summer.

But hey, it could always be worse. Did you think that heatwave we had was intense? Check out this list of the ten hottest places on earth. I've been to number four and I can confirm: it was really hot.

1. Dasht-e Lut desert, Iran: 70.7 °C
I had never heard of this desert before, but you’re not really missing much: there is literally nothing because it’s simply too hot. This temperature was measured by a NASA satellite and is still the record for the hottest place on earth; it was measured in 2005.

2. Badlands in Queensland Outback, Australia: 69.3 °C
There are no people living here due to the temperature, so just like at number one, there are no weather stations present. The temperature is not measured regularly (why would they?), but in 2002, a temperature of 69.3 °C was recorded by NASA's MODIS (a ‘moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer’).

3. Flaming Mountains, China: 66.7 °C
Quite an appropriate name, because in this heat it really does feel like you’re on fire. Again, we know this temperature thanks to NASA. Fun fact: you can book various tours there.

4. Death Valley, United States: 56.5 °C
I've been here and I can wholeheartedly recommend it if you can drive through in a car with a roaring air conditioning. I found it an impressive trip through this desert, which has a special record: the temperature was measured directly here, as there are indeed weather stations present.

5. El Aziza, Libya: 58 °C
In 1922, it was bizarrely hot here, as this temperature was measured. It held the world record for no less than 90 years. Notably, in 2012 this measurement was declared ‘invalid’. Interesting, but well: those temperatures are definitely reached here.

6. Rub’ al Khali, Saudi Arabia: 56 °C
Let this sink in: this desert covers 650,000 square meters. For comparison: the Netherlands covers 41,543 square meters. This scorching desert is therefore more than fifteen times larger than our country. And you burn almost alive there. Don't call me.

7. Kebil, Tunisia: 55 °C
This town is located in the middle of the desert and you read it right: there are indeed people living here. 18,000 to be exact. No idea how they manage to survive here, I can already cry just thinking about it.

8. Timbuktu, Mali: 54.5 °C
I used to not even know that Timbuktu was a real place; I thought it was a metaphor for a very faraway place. A sort of Neverland. But it obviously exists, although that won't change anything for me: I will never go there. Unbearable.

9. Tirat Zvi, Israel: 54 °C
This measurement was taken in 1942, although its authenticity is questioned. Well, I don't think I would feel the difference between 50 °C and 54 °C, so it doesn't matter to me. Both temperatures are an absolute no-go for me.

10. Dallol, Ethiopia: 47 °C
What a hell: it simply does not cool down at this place. It’s scorching hot all year round. Do people enjoy that? Absolutely not, and that’s why this has become a true ghost town, as everyone has since left.

And what about the Netherlands? Our record was measured on July 25, 2019 (not that long ago), when it reached 40.7°C in Gilze-Rijen, in North Brabant.