The coldest place on Earth where temperatures plummet to -89C for 30 residents

The coldest place on Earth is a freezing cold research station where temperatures have plummeted to as low as -89C, with a mere 30 people braving the extreme conditions to live there.

While much has been written about the hottest spot on Earth, with Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California, holding the record at a scorching 56.7C, the coldest place is less well-known. However, according to the latest edition of the Guinness World Records book released last week, the Vostok Research Centre still holds the record for the lowest temperature.

Situated on Princess Elizabeth Land in Antarctica, which Australia claims as part of its Australian Antarctic Territory, a claim not widely recognised. The Russian station recorded a staggering -89.2C on July 21, 1983. Established by the Soviet Union in 1957, Vostok is located in the southern Pole of Cold, noted for recording some of the lowest air temperatures on Earth.

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Vostok's location makes it one of the prime spots for observing changes in the Earth's magnetosphere, and it's also known for conducting various other studies including actinometry, geophysics, medicine, and climatology.

A Russian who spent a year living at the station shared insights into how residents manage the relentless subzero temperatures. On the Space and Polar YouTube channel, he revealed: "The temperature today is -31C. The humidity here is always quite low. Today it was about 50%. So quite low," reports the Express.

"And it has to be low because it's the coldest place on the planet. During our winter here, in June the temperature was -82C. That's a really low temperature. The lowest temperature on the station was recorded about 30 years ago.

"The station sits on the Antarctic ice shield at a height of 3,488m. Due to the fact that the atmosphere is slightly thinner on the polar regions it's really like being at 4,200m. It's like we're in the mountains here."

The station experiences an ice cap climate with subzero temperatures all year, typical for much of Antarctica. Of operational weather stations, Vostok currently holds the record as the coldest on Earth based on mean annual temperature.

Throughout the cold season, from April to September, average temperatures hover around -66C, while in the warm season the average rises to a relatively less frigid -44C.

Besides the extreme cold, several other factors contribute to making Vostok one of the most challenging environments for humans to live in.

These challenges include air that's nearly devoid of moisture, significant windspeeds, reduced oxygen levels due to the high altitude nearing 3,500m, and a polar night lasting about 120 days from late April through mid-August.

Adapting to such conditions can take anything from a week to two months, with potential symptoms being headaches, feelings of suffocation, increased blood pressure, and nosebleeds.

Vostok, as of 2017, is occupied by just 30 individuals during the warmer summer months, with this figure dwindling to a mere 15 in the even harsher winter climate.

Only recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Vostok as 'one of the most modern and well-equipped' bases on Antarctica during the inauguration of their new wintering complex. He stated: "Now the situation has changed, the station's capabilities have increased by an order of magnitude."