Special Report
Driest Places on Earth
February 24, 2020 6:58 pm
Last Updated: March 13, 2020 4:58 pm
Source: chriss73 / Getty Images
25. Palmeira, Cape Verde
> Annual average precipitation (16 years of data): 0.5 inches
> Wettest year in database: 2016, 4.6 inches
> Wettest month on average: September, 2.0 inches
Palmeira is a town on Cape Verde’s northernmost island, Sal. It is Sal’s main fishing and trading port, handling imports and exports. Sal is sandy and arid, with Palmeira receiving the least amount of precipitation in all of Cape Verde.
24. Thumrait, Oman
> Annual average precipitation (16 years of data): 0.5 inches
> Wettest year in database: 2018, 3.6 inches
> Wettest month on average: May, 0.2 inches
Thumrait is located in southern Oman, approximately 50 miles from the coast. It has a hot desert climate and receives very little rain, though there is occasionally an uptick during the summer monsoon season.
Source: Hamdanmourad / Wikimedia Commons
23. Djanet, Algeria
> Annual average precipitation (16 years of data): 0.5 inches
> Wettest year in database: 2005, 2.4 inches
> Wettest month on average: June, 0.1 inches
Djanet is a desert oasis located in the southeastern portion of Algeria, where the country borders Niger and Libya. The region is famous for its massive sand dunes and rocky canyons. On average, it only receives 0.1 inches of rain during June — its rainiest month.
Source: habib kaki / Wikimedia Commons
22. Azekkour, Algeria
> Annual average precipitation (16 years of data): 0.5 inches
> Wettest year in database: 2008, 1.4 inches
> Wettest month on average: October, 0.2 inches
Also located within Saharan Algeria is the town of Azekkour. Over the 16 years of rainfall data, Azekkour only received an average of 0.5 inches of rain a year. During 2008, an especially wet year for the region, 1.4 inches of precipitation fell.
Source: Chapultepec at English Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
21. Waddan, Libya
> Annual average precipitation (16 years of data): 0.5 inches
> Wettest year in database: 2013, 1.6 inches
> Wettest month on average: April, 0.2 inches
Waddan is an oasis town in Libya’s Al-Jufra region. Libya is one of the world’s driest countries, and Waddan is among its driest towns — receiving an average of 0.5 inches of rain annually over 16 years of recent data.
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