Ten driest places on Earth

Discover the driest places on Earth, why they get so little rainfall, and what can survive each region’s harsh conditions

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by Charlotte Locke

When talking about dry landscapes, it’s easy to think of hot and sandy deserts, with no water sources for hundreds of miles around. However, the driest places on Earth are not always the hottest or barren. Many of them are actually ice caps or home to thriving and bustling cities.

Below are the ten driest places on Earth, in reverse order of total annual rainfall.

10. Faya-Largeau, Chad (10 mm)

Located in northern Chad, Faya-Larjo has a very arid climate due to its proximity to the Sahara desert, which provides the city with intense heat and minimal rainfall, often less than 10 mm per year It is a very difficult environment to support life with very little vegetation or wildlife.

However, there are a few hardy species that can survive in harsh climates, including scorpions, desert foxes, and camels.

About 48,000 people live in Faia Large, depending on sparse oases as their main water source.

9. Walvis Bay, Namibia (8mm)

Walvis Bay in the Namib Desert is located on the Atlantic coast of Namibia with less than 8 mm of annual rainfall. It rests on a thick ocean fog to provide moisture.

This unique ecosystem is surprisingly capable of supporting a variety of life, including Cape fur seals that thrive along the shoreline, and the occasional sighting of brown hyenas. The fog also feeds plants such as lichens, which in turn support small insects and other animals, creating a unique micro-ecosystem in the desert.

8. Aulef, Algeria (5 mm)

Located in part of the Sahara desert in Algeria, the town of Aulef experiences very high temperatures and averages only 5-12 mm of rainfall each year. Aulef is this driest place throughout Algeria.

With minimal vegetation, wildlife here includes desert-adapted animals such as the sand fox, Addax antelope and numerous species of hardy insects. These animals are experts at conserving moisture, obtaining most of their water from food rather than from direct sources.

However, the Aulef Oasis is an important source of water for its inhabitants, making it a vital area of ​​life in the vast, waterless expanse.

7. Wadi Halfa, Sudan (2.5 mm)

With 2.5 mm of rainfall per year, Wadi Halfa in Sudan’s Nubian Desert is one of the driest places in Africa, surrounded only by sand and rocks.

While it may seem like little can thrive in such conditions, Wadi Half is actually home to over 15,000 people.

The Nile River is a critical source of water for Wadi Halfa, supporting human and animal populations where rainfall is virtually absent. The aridity of the region is important for the preservation of history, as well as for the protection of ancient artifacts such as petroglyphs, human remains and monuments.

6. Ica, Peru (2 mm)

The city of Ica receives less than 2 mm of rain per year in the Ica Desert, making it one of the driest places on the South American continent.

The human population of over a quarter of a million humans thrive in the city, but there are few animal species. Lizards, beetles and some species of migratory birds occasionally fly in after rare rains, but little makes Iku a permanent home.

The city depends on the aquifer for its water needs and the nearby Ica River, but it is there evidence for conjecture that these springs are struggling with climate change and may soon dry up, especially as the land is used for agriculture.

5. Luxor, Egypt (1 mm)

Luxor, which receives about 1 mm of rainfall annually, is located along the Nile River, where water can support both agricultural needs and wildlife in the unforgiving Western Desert, part of the Sahara.

Animals such as desert foxes, Nile crocodiles and various waterfowl are common, especially near the river.

Luxor’s dry climate is crucial to the preservation of its ancient monuments and temples, including the famous Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings, making it Egypt’s best tourism destination. However, climate change may prevent the preservation of these places in danger.

4. Aswan, Egypt (1 mm)

Located in the Sahara desert, Aswan receives approximately 1 mm of rainfall each year and experiences high daytime temperatures throughout the year.

There is almost no vegetation, and very few desert animals, such as the fennec fox and the horned viper, which survive in the environment by living a nocturnal lifestyle and avoiding the heat of the day.

Like Luxor, the population of Aswan is also supported by the Nile River, relying on this source of water for daily life in the surrounding harsh desert.

3. San Pedro de Atacama, Chile (1 mm)

San Pedro de Atacama receives very little rainfall each year, averaging less than 1 mm. The dryness of the city is due to its location in a high mountain valley, which protects it from moisture coming from passing clouds, which is dispersed on the nearby volcanoes and mountains.

Despite its extreme aridity, the region is home to a variety of wildlife, including flamingos that flock to the nearby salt flats, and various species of desert foxes and reptiles that have adapted to the harsh environment.

2. Arica, Chile (0.76 mm)

Arica, part of the Atacama Desert, hosts only Fr 0.76 mm rains annually, but is aided by the coastal fog known as “kamanchaka”.

This fog supports unique plant species, such as tillandsia, which absorb water directly from the air, and supports some species of birds and insects adapted to minimal moisture.

Even as one of the driest populated areas in the world, Arica still has a population of over 222,000. As a port city, Arica is supported by constant, busy trade routes that support the region’s population, which is growing very little.

Arica’s aridity is due to its location in the rain shadow zone, which means that the prevailing westerly winds carry and deposit their moisture in the nearby mountains and leave all minor precipitation on the coast.

1. Dry valleys, Antarctica (0 mm)

Although we often think of snowy terrain when we think of Antarctica, its Dry Valleys are the driest place in the world.

Because of the extremely low humidity in this region of the continent, there is almost no ice or snow cover. The nearby mountains are high enough to block the ice from flowing to the sea and reaching the valleys, leaving them almost completely dry all year round.

Strong wind, the speed of which often exceeds 200 miles per hour heat the surface of the landscape as they descend from the mountains to the valleys, evaporating all the water, snow, and ice.

According to scientists, the Dry Valleys are the closest environments of Earth to the planet Mars, so many want to study them to better understand the Red Planet.

Lichens and mosses is the only species able to survive in this extremely harsh environment.