From the highest mountain to hottest desert, Asia’s home to many of the world’s superlative natural wonders. Discover what makes this continent the most extreme on the planet.
HOTTEST POINT
Lut Desert, Iran 70.7°C
Parked in Iran’s southeast, this large salt desert lays claim to being the hottest location on the planet. The highest temperature ever recorded here was a sweltering 70.7°C, captured by a NASA satellite in 2005. The hottest point is a dark lava plateau called Gandom Beryan, which covers an area of around 480 square kilometres.
EXPEDITION INFORMATION
WHEN TO GO The best time to visit the Lut Desert is during spring and autumn– from March to May, and September to November respectively. Summer, of course, should be avoided, as should winter, when nighttime temperatures drop below zero
GETTING AROUND It is easy to travel within Iran on buses, trains and savaris (shared taxis)
GETTING THERE Tours of the Lut Desert start and end in Kerman, which can be reached via Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani International Airport. The airport has a connection to Dubai as well as various domestic connections. Itineraries typically include the ancient sites at Bam, Rayen and Mahan
COLDEST INHABITED PLACE
Oymyakon, Russia –71.2°C
Denne historien er fra AG 05/2021 - 150-utgaven av ASIAN Geographic.
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Denne historien er fra AG 05/2021 - 150-utgaven av ASIAN Geographic.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Revealed Doctor Yellow
Japan Railways' special lemony Shinkansen is a rare sight to behold
The Mighty Yellow
Over 5,000 kilometres long and flowing through nine provinces and autonomous regions, the Yellow River is China's second largest, after the Yangtze, while its basin is deemed the cradle of Chinese civilisation
Wildlife Big Yellow Beauty
The popular "amelanistic" form of the Burmese python is considered among the most beautiful snakes - if that's your sort of thing
All That Glitters Is Gold
From Turkey to China, the yellow metal plays a central role in cultural practices and is coveted as a symbol of affluence and status
Chengdu Hotel Spotlight TRIKA TSANG INTERNATIONAL HOTEL
For an authentic taste of Tibet in the heart of Chengdu, the most luxurious option is the majestic Trika Tsang International Hotel.
Conservation Yellow in Peril
While the demand for use in traditional Chinese medicine is putting seahorses under pressure, it is damaging non-selective fishing that is driving depletion
History Spiritual Rebirth
During the Spanish Golden Age, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan achieved the first European navigation to Asia via the Pacific, arriving in the Philippines in 1521 and claiming the islands for Spain. But by converting the first Filipinos to Catholicism, Magellan also instigated the Christianisation of the entire archipelago, a spiritual rebirth celebrated through the two most important festivals in the Philippines - Fiesta Señor and Sinulog.
Green Dreams
With its tea plantations and rice paddies, dense jungles and expansive forests, the region is well known as a green paradise. But many of the most impressive Asian landscapes have names you may never have heard of. Journey with us as we reveal just some of the incredible locations that make the rest of the world green with envy!
Life On The Edge
In the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, in the remote northern Russian Far East, indigenous ethnic groups like the Chukchi and the Yupik live in the most extreme conditions, hunting seals in their traditional kayaks as they have for millennia
The Karakoram Anomaly Decoded
For decades, scientists have believed that glaciers in the Karakoram Range are defying the trend of those across the globe-resisting glacial melt due to human-induced global warming. But as we trek up the Karakoram's second-longest glacier in July, as the United Nations announces the world's hottest ever month on record, does the melting ice beneath our feet suggest the so-called Karakoram Anomaly is slowing? Or is there a ray of hope it will continue to delay the inevitable?
