EXTREME CLIMATES WETTEST AND DRIEST

URECA, BIOKO ISLAND, EQUATORIAL GUINEA

THE WETTEST PLACE IN AFRICA

Starting off our list are the five wettest places on Earth. The wettest

Place in Africa is on the southern end of Equatorial Guinea’s

Bioko Island. The town of Ureca experiences near-daily downpours,

bringing 411 inches (10,450 mm) of rain each year. July alone brings

87 inches (2205 mm) – that’s almost a quarter of annual

rainfall in just one month!

CROPP RIVER – WETTEST PLACE IN NEW ZEALAND

The Cropp River area of New Zealand’s South Island receives

453 inches (11,516 mm) of rain annually, making for a gushing river.

Its one-day rainfall record was set on December 28, 1989 when

30 inches (758 mm) fell in 24 hours.

TUTUNENDO – WETTEST PLACE IN COLOMBIA

Receiving an average of 463 inches (11,770 mm) of rain annually,

Tutunendo is near Colombia’s Pacific Ocean coast. Even during the

dry season, clouds are so present the town only receives

3-4 hours of sunshine each day.

CHERRAPUNJI

WETTEST PLACE IN NORTHEASTERN INDIA

Just 9 miles (15 km) away from the first one on this list, Cherrapunji is in

Meghalaya, a state in north eastern India. Receiving up to 464 inches

(11,777 mm) of rain annually, the villagers have devised a clever way to get

around – over decades, they have wound the roots of trees into bridges

which cross rivers and gorges.

MAWSYNRAM, INDIA – WETTEST PLACE IN THE WORLD

The wettest place in the world is the Indian village of Mawsynram where

rain comes down so often and so hard villagers line their homes with

grass to dull the sound. Its position just above the plains of Bangladesh

leads it to get pelted by an average of 467 inches (11,871 mm) of rain

annually. That’s almost 40 feet!

DEATH VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, USA

NORTH AMERICA'S DRIEST SPOT

The first of our top five driest places on Earth, North America’s driest spot

and the fifth driest place on Earth, Death Valley in California sees less

than 2 inches (51 mm) of rain per year. Though areas to its west get plenty

of rain coming from the Pacific, it mostly drops on the other side of the

mountain ranges, leaving Death Valley bone-dry.

PELICAN POINT, NAMIBIA

Pelican Point in western Namibia is a place where you can hear both

Jackals calling from the desert and seals playing in the ocean. A small

peninsula, Pelican Point receives .32 inches (8 mm) of rain annually.

Despite being so parched, it’s a wonderful spot for surfing in the Atlantic.

ASWAN, EGYPT

Southern Egypt’s Aswan city is so dry that some locals don’t bother

having roofs on their homes, sleeping under the star-lit sky instead.

Most of Aswan’s .04 inches (1 mm) of annual rain comes in May,

but not every May. That drop must be something to really

look forward to!

ATACAMA DESERT, CHILE

The highest desert on the planet, Chile’s Atacama Desert looks more

like it belongs on Mars than Earth. The area is so similar scientists

often test Mars landing vessels in the desert before going to the red planet.

Though some areas receive less than .04 inches (1 mm) of rain per year,

some haven’t seen a drop in centuries.

MCMURDO DRY VALLEYS

DRIEST PLACE ON EARTH

Likely coming as a surprise, the driest place on Earth is actually in

Antarctica. The continent’s McMurdo Dry Valleys are located between

various mountain ranges which keep the area bone dry, so dry that

not a single drop of rain has fallen in 14 million years.