The 11 Coldest Places on Earth

Most people love to travel to hot locations and islands around the globe to relax. However, true adventures and brave souls travel to the coldest places on Earth. With the cold air and snowy weather, these chilly locations require dressing warm with several layers. It gets so cold your breath will freeze as you speak. Only explorers and scientists venture out to most of these freezing cold places.

While some locations are not far from big cities, most areas are remote and a long way from human contact. The cold weather plays a big part in keeping tourists and visitors out of these ice-cold places, but despite the weather, some of the coldest locations still have small populations that can handle the harsh weather and welcome those who wish to visit. These are incredible places to visit as you will discover below. 

The 11 Coldest Places on Earth

1. Dome Fuji, Antarctica

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Dome Fuji sits in the icy and freezing East Antarctic ice sheet. It was declared the coldest place on Earth after hitting its coldest recorded temperature of -92.3°C. Unsurprisingly, the area is freezing and frigid. Hence, it’s considered a cold desert, with the rain turning into ice crystals before hitting the ground.

Despite the intensely cold weather, scientists and researchers manage to survive in the incredibly chilly climate. 

2. Dome Argus, Antarctica

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Located on the Antarctic plateau 13,428 feet above sea level, Dome Argus reaches freezing temperatures of −82.5 °C. The coldest surface in the area is between Dome Fuji and Dome Argus. Also known as Dome A, it’s at the center of East Antarctica between the South Pole and the giant tip of the Lambert Glacier.

Despite the freezing temperature, Dome A is one of the driest locations as it receives very little snow compared to other areas. Thus, it brings a whole new meaning to a cold day in hell.

3. Vostok Research Station, Antarctica

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In 1957, the Soviet Union journeyed to Princess Elizabeth Land, Antarctica, establishing the groundbreaking Vostok Research Station. It also happens to be one of the coldest places on Earth, with its freezing temperature hitting −89.2 °C. Plus, they get roughly 26 days of snow yearly.

Despite having zero sunlight from May to August, it’s also one of the sunniest places on Earth. Furthermore, they’ve made incredible discoveries through magnetometry and ice-core drilling. 

4. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica

In the 1900s, competing explorers Roald Amundsen and Robert F. Scott raced to the South Pole to be the first to make history. Since they contributed to exploring the South Pole, the research station, Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, bears their names. The cold weather prevented a research station until 1956.

In the early 1980s, the coldest recorded temperature hit an astonishing -82.8°C, making it one of the coldest places on Earth. Furthermore, Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is the only occupied place on Earth where the Sun is constantly visible for six months. The other six months are continuously dark, making the Polar months even colder. 

5. Denali Mountain, USA

Denali Mountain is one of the most famous mountains in the world for several reasons. The mountain is most famous for its name change controversy, going from McKinley Mountain to Denali Mountain, which had always been the name locally. Denali Mountain is also the highest peak in North America at 20,310 feet above sea level, making it one of the coldest places on Earth.

In 2002, a weather station at 19,000 feet began recording the temperature at the highest points. It measured the coldest average temperature at roughly -73.8°C. Even on the warmest day in July, the hottest temperature at the peak was −30.5 °C.

6. Verkhoyansk, Russia

Considered a Pole of Cold, Verkhoyansk, Russia, is known for its fluctuating temperatures. Amazingly it holds both the coldest temperature recorded in Asia and the hottest temperature north of the Arctic Circle. It set the record for the coldest temperature during the winter at −67.8 °C.

The freezing conditions are partly because of the dense and cold air of the Siberian High, causing the temperature to increase, creating extremely cold situations. On the flip side, it’s quite warm during the summer, with temperatures reaching 38.0 °C.

7. Summit Camp, Greenland

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Located on the Greenland ice sheet, the Summit Camp research station studies the temperature in the area all year round. In 2002, it recorded its coldest temperature at −63.3 °C, making it one of the coldest places on Earth. Despite the extremely chilly days and even colder nights, people live and work at Summit Station.

During the summer, a maximum of 38 people pack the research station, but it’s a different situation during other seasons. It’s so cold during the winter that only five people can live and work in the facility. 

8. Oymyakon, Russia

It’s no secret that some of Earth’s coldest places are in Russia. Oymyakon, Russia, leaves teeth chattering and bodies shaking from the cold. Regarded as the Northern Pole of Cold, Oymyakon, Russia, is the coldest continually inhabited location. At 2,460 feet above sea level, the cold air increases with the surrounding mountains, making the temperature even more freezing. The coldest recorded temperature hit a frigid -67.8°C.

With brutal winters, the temperature drops to freezing for seven months of the year while the short summer months are wet. The roughly 500 to 800 residents somehow make it work and survive the freezing days in this cold Russian city.

9. North Ice, Greenland

From 1952 to 1954, the British North Greenland Expedition established the North Ice research station in Greenland. At 7,680 feet above sea level, the initial group of scientists and explorers reached the location by dog sled. Later, an airdrop of supplies helped them survive the harsh cold air and isolation from the rest of the world.

During several years of research, the team recorded the lowest temperature in the world at the time: −66.1 °C. Since that time, several other locations have broken North Ice’s record, but it remains a vital discovery in history. It played a critical role in researching other cold sites around the globe. 

10. Snag, Yukon, Canada

Located near a sideroad east of Beaver Creek, Yukon, Canada, is the village of Snag. The village sits comfortably in the bowl-shaped valley near the white river. Settlers first came to the area due to the Klondike Gold Rush. Not even the cold weather could keep these gold-obsessed people away.

Snag is infamous for its bitter, long, and severe winters causing the small population to stay inside. Unfortunately, the mild summers don’t balance out the cold nights. In 1947, the lowest recorded temperature hit -62.7°C making Snag one of the coldest places on Earth. 

11. International Falls, Minnesota, USA 

Located in Minnesota, USA, the city of International Falls brings new meaning to the term “freezing.” Dubbed the Icebox of the Nation, the city has a population of roughly 6,000 residents who endure long, bitter, and cold winters. During these months, the weather often reaches its coldest points. For approximately 109 days, the highest temperature is below freezing.

There is a small reprieve, with the summer and autumn months being humid but short. While many towns claim to be the “icebox of the nation,” only one can be the true icebox. After a lengthy legal battle, International Falls beat Fraser, Colorado, for the title of “icebox of the nation.”