The Death Valley is located in the northern sector of the Mojave Desert, at the border of The Great Basin. One of its locations, the Badwater Basin, is the point of lowest elevation in the entire North American continent, resting at some 282 feet below sea level.
Recently, the hot and dry spot between California and Nevada posted one of the highest temperatures in history. Posting a preliminary temperature of 130 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, August 16, it was close to breaking its previous record of 134 degrees - recorded over a hundred years ago in 1913.
5. Humans Have Lived In Death Valley
Since it only got its modern name from a fairly recent traveling mishap, it's no surprise that humans have actually lived within the Death Valley. Rock arts and artifacts were dated to reveal the humans have inhabited the valley for at least as far as 9,000 years. The Timbisha Shoshone Tribe are known to have lived in the valley for at least the last thousand years.
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6. A four-year period marked its driest record
From 1931 to 1934, including the day its hottest temperature was recorded, marked the driest period in the entire recorded history of Death Valley. On average, the rainfall was only 0.64 inches, or 16 mm, over an extended period of 40 months.
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