For most of the past century, the desert city of El Azizia in northwestern Libya has held the title of hottest spot on Earth due to a temperature reading of 57.8°C (136°F) on September 13, 1922.

However, after years of controversy, the title has been stripped by the World Meteorological Organization and given, instead, to Death Valley, California — where, on July 10, 1913, a verified reading of 56.7°C (134°F) was recorded.

You can find notes on WMO’s reasoning, plus images of the Azizia area at Wikipedia.