The 10 Hottest Places on Earth

Americans should stop whining about the heat wave -- they could be living in one of these 10 punishing locations.

BY KATIE CELLA | JULY 5, 2012

 

9. Tirat Tsvi, Israel -- 129 degrees

The kibbutz of Tirat Tsvi lies 722 feet below sea level, just a few miles west of the Jordanian border. In 1942, its highest temperature of 129 degrees was recorded, the hottest in Asia at the time. Tirat Tsvi has a population of less than 1,000, but is the country's largest producer of dates, with over 18,000 trees braving the scorching weather.

Pictured above is a tower in the Beit Shean Valley, six miles from the Tirat Tsvi kibbutz.

Sharon Shlomo

 

Katie Cella is an editorial researcher at Foreign Policy.