7 Places on Earth Where Rain Never Falls

7 Places on Earth Where Rain Never Falls

Imagine living in a place where rain may not fall for years, decades or even longer. Across the world, some regions are so dry that rainfall is extremely rare, thanks to cold ocean currents, surrounding mountains and atmospheric conditions that prevent rain clouds from developing.

The Atacama Desert in Chile is widely recognised as the driest non-polar desert on Earth, with some areas recording virtually no rainfall for extended periods.

Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys are also exceptionally dry, while Arica, a coastal city in Chile, receives very little annual rainfall.

In Africa, Wadi Halfa in Sudan and the Egyptian cities of Aswan and Luxor experience some of the world’s driest climates.

Other places on this list include Ica in Peru, where the cold Humboldt Current and the Andes Mountains help restrict rainfall, and Death Valley in California, United States, where surrounding mountain ranges contribute to its desert conditions.

Despite the lack of rain, life persists in some of these harsh environments, with certain organisms relying on coastal fog, underground water and occasional moisture to survive.