The Death Valley holds several titles – most famously it is considered the hottest place in the world.
On July 10 1913, the United States Weather Bureau recorded a high temperature of 56.7C (134F) at Greenland Ranch – today known as Furnace Creek.
To this day, this blistering temperature marks the highest ambient air temperature ever recorded on the surface of the planet.
Modern experts have disputed the accuracy of the reading taken more than a century ago, but there is no doubt that the Death Valley is a scorching place, with the mercury reaching 54.4C during the summer of 2020 and 56C in July last year.
This desert valley in eastern California, USA, holds other notable records.
Badwater Basin, a small pool of “bad water” made undrinkable by accumulated salts, is considered the lowest point in the North American continent, as it has a depth of 282ft below sea level.
The main trait of this site prompted experts to name the lowest place on the planet Mars after it – Badwater Crater.
Another title held by the Death Valley is that of driest place in North America, as some areas in the region receive on average less than two inches of rain in a whole year.Â
Despite these inhospitable traits, a few hundred people call the area home. Many residents are employees of the National Park and local hotels, but others, such as members of the Native American tribe of Timbisha, have been inhabiting the valley for centuries.
The valley is also visited by many tourists, particularly during the spring, when temperatures are milder than in the summer and blooming wildflowers put on a beautiful spectacle.
Among the main attractions the Death Valley has to offer are Dante’s View, from which people can admire the landscape in its full splendour, the Grotto Canyon and Scotty’s Castle, a two-storey villa.