head of the first provisional government following the coup of 19 November 1968, who died in 1973. Tiécoro Bagayoko, head of security services from 1968 to 1978, who died in August 1983. Kissima Doukara, Minister of Defence 1968–1978. Youssouf Balla Sylla, police chief of the 3rd Arrondissement of Bamako. Jean Bolon Samaké, head of the Goundam Cercle in 1969, who died in 1973. Climate Taoudenni is a remote site in the hottest region on the planet, located over a hundred and sixty kilometres from the nearest inhabited location of any size. The region is located in the middle of the Sahara Desert, in the southern part of the Tanezrouft (one of the harshest areas on the planet, known for extreme heat and aridity), and features an extreme version of the hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh). The region features a torrid, hyper-arid climate with unbroken sunshine all year long. Averages high temperatures exceed 40 °C (104 °F) from April to September and reach an extreme peak of 47.9 °C (118.2 °F) in July, the highest value for such an elevation above sea level. Winters are also very warm compared to the world average. High temperatures average close to 27 °C (80.6 °F) in the coolest month. The mean annual daily temperature is around 29 °C (84.2 °F) and the annual average high is 37.8 °C (100.0 °F), one of the highest in the world. The annual average rainfall is between 1 cm (0.39 in) and 2 cm (0.78 in) which mainly falls from August to April. On average, Taoudenni sees 3,700 hours of bright sunshine annually, with 84% of daytime hours being sunny. The site is also located in one of the driest regions on the globe. See also Taoudeni basin Taghaza Chenachène Notes References . . A map showing the route from Timbuktu to Taoudenni is included here. The article is also available from the Internet Archive. . First published in 1999 as . . . Link requires subscription to Aluka. Reissued by Anchor Books, New York in 1965. . The text and pictures are available as a series of 13 web pages. There is a series of 219 photographs by Wieland Schmidt. The photographs do not have captions. . An interview with Samba Gaïné Sangaré. Further reading . Pages 37–66 are a reprint of the 1906 article by Cortier. . A one-page summary of Clauzel (1960). .