Driest Places on Earth

Dakhla is located on a narrow peninsula protruding from Western Sahara’s west coast. It receives almost no precipitation, and residents must import their drinking water. Skies are generally sunny and clear year-round, though the town occasionally receives a rare rainfall.

Helwan is an industrial suburb on the bank of the Nile River, south of Egypt’s capital Cairo. It has a hot desert climate and can receive its annual rainfall within one day.

Hassi Fehal is a town located within Algeria’s Ghardaïa Province. It has a population of about 4,000. Residents see very little rain throughout the year. During its wettest month, March, an average of just 0.2 inches of rain falls throughout the month.

Merowe is a Sudanese town built along the Nile. It has a desert climate and receives only 0.6 inches of rain per year, though more than five times this amount of rain fell in 2007.

Formerly known as Timmi, Adrar is the largest settlement among Algeria’s Touat oasis group. It is surrounded by sand-covered plains. While the city only receives an average of 0.5 inches of rain per year, it is susceptible to rare heavy rains. According to the Algeria Press Service, about 20 buildings collapsed due to heavy rainfall in September 2018.