25 Sunniest Places You Might Want To Visit
With the summer season slowly winding down, those warm and sunny days will be soon over. It has been scientifically proven that people tend to be happier and more relaxed in places with more sunshine, so it should come as no surprise that more and more people from countries with cold climates are seeking foreign refuges that offer nice, warm, and sunny weather all year round. Many British and Scandinavian people, for example, rent or even buy houses and apartments in Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, and other Southern European and Mediterranean destinations to escape from the notoriously cold, rainy, and depressive weather they have in their home countries. Similarly, people living in the northern US states buy properties in Florida, California, and the Caribbean to enjoy the sunshine they are deprived of in their cold hometowns. If you are one of those who love the sun but live in a place where it does not shine much, you should check out this post as it features 25 Sunniest Places You Might Want To Visit. From major US cities such Phoenix and Sacramento to Greek islands and African towns hidden in the Sahara Desert, all of these 25 sun spots bask in an extremely high number of sunshine hours.
Featured image: pexels.com
Tucson, Arizona, USA
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
Located 60 mi (97 km) north of the U.S.-Mexico border in southern Arizona, Tucson is home to some 520,000 people who enjoy more than 3,800 hours of sunshine every year. The city has a hot desert climate characterized by clear skies, high temperatures, and relatively low humidity.
Larnaca, Cyprus
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
Known for its iconic palm-tree promenades and beautiful beaches, Larnaca is the third largest city in Cyprus. A popular tourist destination, Larnaca is one of the sunniest places in the Mediterranean with almost 3,360 sunshine hours annually. In summer, rain is extremely rare here.
Aswan, Egypt
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
A busy market and tourist center located on the east bank of the River Nile in Southern Egypt, Aswan is one of the hottest, sunniest, and driest cities in the world. Local climate is extremely clear, bright, and sunny during all seasons, with almost 4,000 hours of annual sunshine, close to the maximum theoretical sunshine duration.
Perth, Australia
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
The fourth largest city in Australia, Perth is known as one of the world’s most livable cities, and its warm and sunny climate is definitely one of the reasons why it is such a great place for life. With 3,230 hours of sunshine annually, Perth is actually the sunniest major city in Australia.
Key West, Florida, USA
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: pixabay.com
Known for its year-round clear skies and warm temperatures, Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida. It has a tropical savanna climate (similar to the Caribbean) with only a small difference in temperatures between summer and winter. The Florida Keys are the only location on the mainland U.S. known to never have had a frost or freeze.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: pixabay.com
The most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai is known for its luxury hotels and the world’s highest building, Burj Khalifa. The city also boasts a hot and sunny climate all year round. With more than 3,500 sunshine hours per year, Dubai is one of the sunniest places in the Middle East as well as in the world.
Khartoum, Sudan
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
The capital and second largest city of Sudan, Khartoum is one of the hottest and sunniest major cities on Earth, with annual mean temperatures hovering around 30 °C (86 °F). The city has a population of almost 5.2 million people who bask in more than 3,730 hours of sunshine every year.
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
Nicknamed “the gambling capital of the world,” Las Vegas has a subtropical, hot desert climate typical of the Mojave Desert in which it lies. The city enjoys abundant sunshine year-round; it has an average of about 310 sunny days per year. Unlike some other cities on the list, Las Vegas has a very low humidity (usually under 10%).
Mykonos, Greece
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
Mykonos is a little Greek island located in the Aegean Sea. A popular tourist destination, the island is well known for its vibrant nightlife and beautiful beaches. Mykonos features a subtropical climate marked by seasonal winds and abundant sunshine with clear skies for up to 300 days a year.
Toliara, Madagascar
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
Situated on the south-western coast of Madagascar, Toliara is known as “the City of the Sun” because of its hot and sunny climate. The temperatures are very high here, but the city is constantly swept by strong winds that make it bearable. On average, Toliara gets as many as 3,600 hours of sunshine per year.
Alice Springs, Australia
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: freeaussiestock.com
The third largest city in Australia’s Northern Territory, Alice Springs is situated roughly in the geographic center of Australia. It has a hot desert climate characterized by very high temperatures and plentiful sunshine with approximately 3,500 hours of sunshine per year.
Still holding onto the last few bits of summer? Check out 25 Beaches That Have Been Ranked As The Best In The World.
Malaga, Spain
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
The southernmost large city in Europe, Malaga is located on the southern coast of Spain, just 130 km (80 mi) north of Africa. Local climate is subtropical with very mild winters and hot summers. Malaga enjoys plenty of sunshine throughout the year, with an average of about 300 days of sunshine per year.
Lodwar, Kenya
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
Lodwar is the largest city in north-western Kenya, located west of the Lake Turkana. Home to some 50,000 people, the city has a hot desert climate with very high temperatures and very little rainfall throughout the year. One of the sunniest cities in Africa, Lodwar gets close to 3,600 hours of sunshine per year.
Antofagasta, Chile
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
Home to about 345,000 people, Antofagasta is a port city in Northern Chile. As the city lies on the Atacama Desert coast, it is subjected to a hot climate of extreme aridity with an average annual rainfall of just 3.4 mm (0.13 inch). Antofagasta gets well over 300 days of sunshine every year.
Keetmanshoop, Namibia
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
Located in Southern Namibia, Keetmanshoop has a hot desert climate with long, very hot summers and warm winters. Keetmanshoop is one of the sunniest places on the planet year-round with a mean sunshine duration over 3,870 hours yearly, which represents over 87% of the time.
Sal, Cape Verde
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
A part of the Cape Verde archipelago, Sal is a little tropical island located off the coast of Western Africa. Known for its superb white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters, Sal enjoys a hot and sunny climate all year round with more than 350 days of sunshine annually.
Bilma, Niger
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
Bilma is an oasis town in North-Eastern Niger in the heart of the Sahara Desert. The sunshine duration is extremely high here with some 4,000 hours of bright sunshine annually. The region excels at hot, sunny, and dry weather with an average summer temperature of 43 °C (110 °F).
Sacramento, California, USA
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
The capital city of the U.S. state of California, Sacramento has been noted as one of the sunniest locations in the US. It gets particularly sunny for 3 months from July to September, when it holds the distinction as the sunniest place on Earth in terms of highest possible percentage of sunshine. July in Sacramento averages 14 hours and 12 minutes of sunshine per day, amounting to 98% of possible sunshine.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
Home to over 7.3 million people, Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. The city has a hot desert climate with extremely high temperatures. The average high temperature in August, for example, is 43.6 °C (110 °F). Riyadh is also very sunny with an average of 3,225 hours of sunshine per year.
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
The capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Arizona, Phoenix has a subtropical desert climate typical of the Sonoran Desert in which it lies. The climate is arid, with plenty of sunshine (over 3,870 hours per year) and clear skies. On average, there are 107 days annually with a high of at least 100 °F (38 °C).
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
The capital and the second most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi features a hot desert climate characterized by high temperatures and sunny blue skies throughout the year. Locals enjoy an average of almost 3,500 hours of sunshine every year.
Upington, South Africa
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
Best known for its export-quality grapes, raisins, and wines, Upington is a town located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Upington has been noted as being the sunniest location on the planet for three months of the year, from November through January. Annually, the town gets more than 3,700 hours of sunshine.
Marrakesh, Morocco
Source and image: en.wikipedia.org
The fourth largest city in Morocco, Marrakesh lies close to the foothills of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains, but the Saharan city is famous for its very hot, sunny, semi-arid climate. There are approximately 3,130 hours of sunshine in Marrakesh per year.
Muscat, Oman
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: commons.wikimedia.org
The capital and largest metropolitan city of Oman, Muscat features a hot desert climate with relatively high humidity (up to 60%). In summer, temperatures can reach close to an unbearable 50 °C (121 °F). The annual amount of sunshine hours averages at approximately 3,500.
Yuma, Arizona, USA
Source: en.wikipedia.org, image: Ken Lund via flickr.com
Located in the southwestern corner of Arizona, Yuma is noted for its weather extremes. Of any populated place in the US, Yuma is the driest, sunniest, and least humid, has the lowest frequency of precipitation and the highest number of days per year with a daily maximum temperature of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher. The sun is said to shine during 90% of the daylight hours, making Yuma the sunniest place in the world.
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