Hotter Than Hades Trivia Quiz

Answer: Athens, Greece

Yes -- Athens, Greece the original Olympic city and the location of the first modern day Olympic Games in 1896 is "Hotter than Hades." Athens also hosted the Olympic Games in 2004 where the hot summer temperatures made life very difficult for the endurance athletes. On July 10th, 1977, Athens and Elefsina both recorded temperatures of 48.0 °C (118.4 °F). Hades, Greek god of the underworld would be most pleased to know his hometown made the list.

Answer: Sudan

Sudan is a large country in northeast Africa. It is surrounded by Egypt to the North, Ethiopia to the east, Libya to the west, and South Sudan to the south. It also has land borders with Eritrea, Central African Republic, and Chad. Wadi Halfa is a city of approximately 15,000 people that is located on the edge of the Nubian Desert.

The Wadi Halfa Valley is known for its spectacular ancient ruins and continues to be an important trading center between Egypt and Sudan. In the summer months (between May and September) average temperatures are over 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Annual rainfall to the area is zero.

Answer: Israel

Tirat Zvi is a religious kibbutz located just south of the city of Beit She'an close to the Israel-Jordan border. The kibbutz lies 722 feet below sea level and has a population under 1,000 people. Despite the small population, and very hot temperatures, the kibbutz is Israel's largest producer of dates. On June 21st, 1942, Tirat Zvi recorded the highest ever recorded temperature in what was then Palestine (53.9 °C 129.0 °F). At the time it was a continental record for Asia.

Answer: Mali

The Republic of Mali is a landlocked nation in west Africa that borders Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Guinea, Senegal, and Mauritania. It is a poor country with over 50% of the population living below the international poverty line (under $1.25 USD a day). Timbuktu is a town of over 30,000 people on the southern edge of the Sahara desert. In December of 1988, the World Heritage Committee selected Timbuktu as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The highest monthly average temperature is in the month of May where temperatures have been recorded averaging close to 119 degrees Fahrenheit.

Answer: Tunisia

Kebili is recorded to be one of the oldest oasis towns in all of northern Africa. Evidence of human habitation passes back over 200,000 years. There are close to 20,000 people living in Kebili with the dominant language being Arabic, and dominant religion being Islam. The summer temperatures are severe, yet the region continues to support an active Bedouin population of nomadic tribesmen.

Answer: Libya

On September 13, 1922, the weather station at El Azizia in Libya recorded the record breaking air temperature of 58.0°C (136.4°F). As of August, 2012, that recorded temperature remained a record. But on September 13, 2012, the World Meteorological Organization announced that the record was invalid due to potential measurement errors. Libyan meteorologists dispute the record annulment.

However, it does not change the fact that El Azizia is still "Hotter than Hades." Winds blowing off the Sahara from the south can increase daily temperatures by as much as twenty degrees.

Despite the heat, almost 300,000 people live within the metropolitan area which is the capital of the Jafara District.

Answer: California

Death Valley is located in the Mojave Desert in the eastern part of California. The lowest elevation in the USA, at 282 feet below sea level, is located in Death Valley's Badwater Basin. One of the most painful endurance races (135 miles) in the world is run through this Basin and is aptly named the "Badwater 135!" Death Valley set a record for the highest verified air temperature ever recorded from the ground. At Furnace Creek, on July 10th, 1913, the thermometer reading was recorded at 134 °F (56.7 °C). This record was recognized by the World Meteorological Organization in 2012.

Answer: China

In 2008, NASA's MODIS program measured the highest maximum temperature on Earth in the Turpan Basin of China's Taklimakan Desert. The temperature recorded was a balmy 66.8°C (152.2°F). The average maximum summer temperature in this region is well over 100 degrees.

Interestingly, China's lowest ever recorded temperatures are also in the same Zinjiang Province in Fuyun County. Despite the torrid summer heat, thousands of people, in hundreds of villages, populate the area. The Turpan Depression is entirely below sea level, beaten only by the Dead Sea in Israel and Laka Assal in Djibouti, for the title of Earth's lowest location.

Answer: Queensland

From 2003 to 2009, NASA conducted a major study of surface temperatures of some of the world's most remote locations. Utilizing MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) onboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satelites, scientists were able to record 7-year weather patterns and identify some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded on the planet's surface.

The badlands in Queensland actually registered the highest ground temperatures of anywhere in the world for 2003 raising the thermometer red line to an amazing 156.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

The heat, back country terrain, and dangerous predators make the badlands one of the most inhospitable and uninhabitable places on the planet.

Answer: Iran

The Dash-e Lut Desert is the world's 25th largest and ranks as one of the hottest places on the planet. In 2005, a team of scientists from Montana recorded surface temperatures of 159-160 degrees fahrenheit in a region of Iran that is considered to be one of the hottest and driest places in the world.

The Lut Desert stretches out over 51,800 square kilometers. The eastern region of the Lut is comprised of salt flats. To the south the terrain resembles the landscape of the Sahara with dunes that reach heights of over 300m.

The world's tallest sand pyramid is also located here. According to scientists, the temperature is even too hot for milk to spoil on account of bacteria not being able to survive in temperatures so high. "Google Sightseeing" has called the Lut Desert the "most deserty" of all of the world's deserts.