Hottest - and coldest - places on the planet

By Jane Murphy

With a chilly start to 2008 and a series of summers that fluctuated between record-breaking heat - and last year's miserable floods - you might think that Britain is becoming a country with something of an extreme climate

But we have it easy compared to many places across the globe. Lonely Planet recently compiled a list of some of the hottest and coldest spots on the planet for its annual Blue List, the experts' pick of the must-see destinations of the year. From sweltering desert wastes to subzero temperatures, we take a look...