Driest Places on Earth

Masirah Island is located off Oman’s east coast. It has a hot desert climate, featuring long hot summers and shorter, warm winters. The island is only reachable by plane or ferry.

Aqaba is located in southwestern Jordan, on the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba. While Jordan is generally very dry, Aqaba is the driest part of the country.

Chiclayo is Peru’s fourth largest city. It is located slightly inland from the coast. It has a subtropical arid climate. While many cities located near the equator — as Chiclayo is — receive an above average amount of precipitation, the Peruvian city is arid due to the cold Humboldt current that runs along South America’s coast and cools the marine air.

Bir Moghrein is a town with around 3,000 residents located in northern Mauritania, near the Western Sahara border. The desert city receives very little rain throughout most of the year, though an average of 2.1 inches fell during the 16 years considered for this list.

In Amenas, which is located in eastern Algeria, along the Libyan border, became the subject of international news in 2013, when a local gas plant was attacked by Islamic militants. The town is located near the center of the exceedingly arid Sahara.