Kebili, Tunisia: The Hottest Place In Africa
Madhif/Wikimedia CommonsKebili, Tunisia, is one of the hottest places in Africa.
Last but certainly not least — nor coolest — Kebili, Tunisia is considered the hottest place in Africa. It set a record back in 1931, when temperatures soared to 131 degrees Fahrenheit, landing Kebili on the list of the hottest places in the world.
Located in the south of the country, Kebili has a long history. Humans have lived in the area for hundreds of thousands of years, and Kebili became part of the Roman Empire after Rome triumphed in the Punic Wars.
During its hot season, from June until September, temperatures reach the low 90s. During Kebili’s hottest month, August, the average high is a sweltering 100 degrees.
An oasis, one of the oldest in the region, Kebili is especially known for its date production. But as Reuters reported in 2022, relentless high temperatures and droughts have crippled the industry in recent years.
“We haven’t seen rain since 2011. Underground water is boiling hot. When the electricity is cut off, the farmers can’t use the water for irrigation, and the waterwheels are broken,” one farmer lamented. “Everything came at the same time.”
Jaume Ollé/Wikimedia CommonsLike many of the hottest places in the world, Kebili remains hot all year round.
In Kebili, as in the other locations on this list, life often isn’t easy inside the hottest places on Earth.
In Death Valley, Dallol, or the Lut Desert, life struggles to survive at all. Elsewhere, like Oodnadatta, people have found ways to deal with the heat.
But with Earth’s temperature rising — it’s risen two degrees since 1850 — we may see more and more hot climates, and more record-breaking days with some of the highest temperatures ever registered.
After reading about some of the hottest places on Earth, discover the stories of some of the creepiest places on Earth. Then, learn about the places that are considered Earth’s most dangerous.
