Hottest Places on Earth

You've heard the expression "It's so hot I could fry an egg on the sidewalk." That's pretty hot: Eggs need to reach 144 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit before they'll turn from a liquid to a solid. And the highest temperature on earth saw the mercury hit 136°F (57.8°C).Of course, that was a measure of the air temperature at about five feet above ground. Surface temperatures are higher, by as much as 20 degrees. So maybe egg frying isn't entirely out of the question.

The highest temperature recorded was logged on September 13, 1922 in El Azizia, Libya.Libya, the fourth largest state in Africa, is located close to the equator. Libya consists almost entirely of desert. With no natural barriers to speak of, Libya's climate is greatly influenced by the desert to the south and the Mediterranean Sea to the north. A scorching wind called the Ghibli can raise the temperatures in a matter of hours.