Extreme Weather Places on Earth
1. Coldest Inhabited Town: Oymyakon, Russia
Oymyakon is known as the coldest inhabited place on Earth.
- What It Is and Where It's Found: Oymyakon is a rural locality in Sakha Republic, Russia.
- Why It Holds the Record: The average temperature in winter can plunge to -50 degrees Celsius, with a record low of -67.7 degrees Celsius!
- How It Formed or Works: Oymyakon lies in a valley that traps cold air during winter, leading to extremely low temperatures.
- Memorable Fact or Comparison: In Oymyakon, the air is so cold that people can freeze exposed water in minutes!
2. Hottest Desert: Sahara Desert
The Sahara Desert is the hottest desert in the world.
- What It Is and Where It's Found: The Sahara Desert stretches across North Africa, covering 9.2 million square kilometres.
- Why It Holds the Record: It can reach scorching temperatures of up to 56.7 degrees Celsius in the summer months.
- How It Formed or Works: The Sahara was formed by tectonic movements that created high plateaus and ridges, plus the lack of rainfall contributes to its extreme heat.
- Memorable Fact or Comparison: The Sahara is so large it is comparable in size to the entire United States!
3. Windiest Capital City: Wellington, New Zealand
Wellington is known as the windiest capital city in the world.
- What It Is and Where It's Found: Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand, located at the southern end of the North Island.
- Why It Holds the Record: It experiences average wind speeds of around 22.8 kilometres per hour, with gusts that can exceed 100 kilometres per hour!
- How It Formed or Works: Wellington is situated between the Cook Strait and surrounding mountains, which funnels and intensifies winds as they come through.
- Memorable Fact or Comparison: Wellington is so windy that it often makes flying difficult, and it's known for blowing hats off people's heads!
