The rainiest and wettest place on earth. The wettest places on earth
As you know, the Sun shines on everyone on Earth - although not always with the same intensity, warming us with its warmth. But if cold periods nevertheless give way to warm ones, then the distribution of water precipitation is devoid of even the semblance of some kind of justice.
There are places on our planet where heavy rains pour literally every day, forcing local residents to suffer from high humidity. Where is the wettest place on Earth?
The rainiest place according to the Guinness book
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the wettest and rainy place on our planet is located in India. It is located in the state of Meghalaya, on one of the slopes mountain range Eastern Khasi. This is the town of Mawsynrem, in which there is even a special sign notifying that the rainiest place in the world is Globe is located right here.
In a year, 11,870 mm of water is poured onto the roofs of Mawsynrem. Is it a lot or a little? If the 38-meter statue of Christ from Rio de Janeiro stood in Maucinreme, then the water collected over the year would reach the knees of Jesus.
The name of the town in translation matters "land of the clouds", since very often here, especially during the period lasting from June to September, there is dense cloudiness. Constantly high humidity at this time greatly annoys local residents, who, however, have learned to deal with the weather.
During the rainy season City residents throw peculiar umbrellas over their heads and shoulders, which are woven from thin bamboo shoots and wide leaves of a banana tree. They cover the roofs of their houses with thick layers of straw so as not to be irritated by the constant sound of falling drops.
Distinctive feature What attracts tourists here, along with the rainy climate, are the so-called “living bridges” made from the roots of rubber trees. These bridges, thrown over rocky crevices or over small rivers, not only do not collapse over the years, but, on the contrary, become even stronger.
They are “built” in the following way: they throw a light bridge of bamboo poles across the river and braid it with the roots of rubber trees. After a year or two, bamboo humid climate completely rots, but the roots entwining it during this time strengthen and grow thanks to generous rain watering.
Further maintenance of the bridge consists of periodically trimming the roots, which every year strengthen the light hanging structure more and more.
Cherapudzhi - rival of Mawsynrem
Several years ago, the city of Cherapudzhi, which is located about two dozen kilometers from Mawsynrem, was considered the wettest place on Earth. Its climate is practically the same as described above, but through careful measurements it was found that the annual rainfall of Cherrapudja is only 11,430 mm per year.
The glory of the wettest place on the planet has left this Indian city, but a previously installed billboard remains as a souvenir for its residents. By the way, at the end of the monsoon period, a real drought sets in in these places, since rains at this time are extremely rare, which is why mountain rivers fed by precipitation, dry up almost completely.
The village of Tutunedo is another “pole of rain”
In South America, the rainiest place is the Colombian village of Tutunedo, which receives 11,770 mm of precipitation per year.
No more than a thousand people live here, and it rains almost continuously throughout the year. The driest months are February and March - the number of rainy days at this time does not exceed twenty per month.
Kroll River is an absolute record holder
The surroundings of the Kroll River, which flows in New Zealand and flows into the Tasman Sea, can also hardly be called an area with good climate. On average, about 11,520 mm falls here throughout the year.
High humidity The mountainous terrain, among which the river bed is laid, contributes. But it did not become famous for its stormy current. It was here that a humidity record was recorded in 1997-98: as much as 18,413 mm of precipitation fell during the year.
The town of Cherrapunji, located in Indian state Meghalaya is considered the rainiest place on Earth. The annual precipitation here exceeds 11 thousand mm.
The state of Meghalaya is located on the Shillong plateau in the Eastern Khasi Mountains in northeastern India. Geographical position state determines its unique natural phenomenon: The average annual precipitation here is more than 11 meters! For comparison, this is approximately 13 times more quantity precipitation received by one of the rainiest cities in the United States, Seattle.
Heavy rain clouds rise onto the Shillong plateau from the valleys of Bangladesh further south, collecting even more evaporated moisture as they move north. Encountering the steep slopes of the Meghalaya hills, the clouds can no longer retain the accumulated moisture and pour almost constant rain onto the plateau.
Peak precipitation occurs in the two hottest summer months, during which more than half of the annual norm falls here.
Until now, precipitation levels are measured here using such a primitive device, but at the end of 2014 it will be replaced by a modern automatic digital station.
Local residents working outdoors use traditional umbrellas to protect themselves from the rain. These simple devices, made from bamboo and banana leaves, allow you to free both hands for working in the field, and also protect from strong winds.
During the rainy season strong currents water often leads to destruction rock and road blocking. Until October local residents They are forced to cope with this problem on their own, sorting out the rubble almost manually. After the end of the rainy season, heavy equipment comes to the aid of people. The earnings of these people do not exceed $3 a day.
IN summer months It rains every day, getting heavier at night.
The state of Meghalaya is dominated by ethnic Khasi. Total number The Khasi population in India is about 1 million.
70% of local residents profess Christianity. The first church in this area was founded in 1841 by a missionary, Reverend Thomas Jones.
One of the most amazing and interesting features regions are living bridges, spanned across many local rivers. Because of high humidity, wooden bridges in these places become unusable and rot within a few years. Therefore, local residents learned to build unusual structures from the roots of rubber trees growing along the shore.
The basis of such a bridge is made up of bamboo trunks, which are slowly, day after day, entwined with the growing roots of rubber trees. After 6-8 years, when the bamboo inside the bridge rots, the intertwined roots can already support the weight of a person. Bridges braided in this way can last for many years, becoming even stronger as the roots grow.
Most megacities, be it eastern exotica or urban western reinforced concrete jungles, are familiar with the phenomenon atmospheric precipitation. In inclement weather, most people tend to close windows and doors more tightly, sit in a cozy chair under a blanket and with their favorite book. But often residents of especially wet areas big cities you have to put on a raincoat, arm yourself with an umbrella and go outside, since your usual routine cannot be canceled. In the words of the poet, “nature has no bad weather"as if guided by the most rainy city in the world, when after the first drops of rain it instantly blooms with a colorful carpet of various umbrellas.
1. Cherrapunji, India (12,000 mm of precipitation per year)
Easier rainfall in this Indian city perceived in meters - 12 meters of water are poured onto the heads of the townspeople here every year! There are endless downpours here for 5 months of the year, during which time they carry away almost all the soil, preventing agriculture from developing. And in 1980, nature went wild here and literally flooded the city, pouring an almost 26.5-meter-thick layer of water onto it! The same rainy month happened in July 1986, when rainfall levels stopped at beautiful number 10,000 mm.
The Khasi Mountains, into which clouds saturated with moisture rest and pour it on the heads of the unfortunate townspeople, contributed to the city of Cherrapunji becoming a bed for a heavenly waterfall. However, they still do not give up and try to resist the elements, also using nature itself - building bridges from trees. Using a wire frame, they guide the roots of rubber trees into specific place and wait for them to grow in the right direction. This almost miraculous bridge, by the way, turns out to be quite strong and can support the weight of 50 people. The climate here is typically monsoonal: after five months of endless rain, an even longer 7-month drought sets in. The dry and fairly cool season here occurs from November to February.
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2. Tutunendo, Colombia (11,500 mm)
For each of the 4,000 inhabitants of this Colombian city, 11.5 meters of water rains down from the sky every year. Throughout the year, there are an average of 280 days of rain there, and most often they occur at night. Perhaps this feature does not allow the elements to interfere too much with the life of the local inhabitants, who are engaged not only in agriculture, but even in tourism.
3. Buenaventura, Colombia (6,000-7,000 mm)
The population of this Colombian city is approximately the same as in our Sochi, but it is less fortunate than the Sochi residents, since 6-7 meters of precipitation falls here annually. This dampness is facilitated by the peculiarity of the location of the city and the surrounding landscape: it is sandwiched on a tight strip of land between the steep Andes and the mighty Pacific Ocean. As a result, cyclones saturated with water rush towards Buenaventura in a line, are slowed down by the mountains above it and dump their liquid cargo onto the city streets.
4. Monrovia, Liberia (5,140 mm)
Liberian capital - quite Big City with a population exceeding one million people. And all these people have to endure rainstorms almost all year round. Why have so many people come here and don’t want to move somewhere more pleasant to live? The fact is that the Americans at one time arranged here the only West Africa a duty-free seaport, which is a source of funds both for the entire country in general and for the residents of Monrovia in particular. Monsoon prevails here tropical climate and only from a climate point of view, living here is not easy, but where else can you earn so much money? And although the monsoon climate also has a dry season, it often rains during it.
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5. Mawlamyine, Myanmar (4,750 mm)
This city is quite famous in its own country, but not at all because it “does not dry out.” In fact, there are an abundance of Buddhist pagodas and temples, beautiful National cuisine and an abundance of tropical fruits. And only then do I remember the endless streams of water from the sky falling on local attractions. The climate here is tropical, however, if in South-East Asia relative humidity usually high, here it is much lower. In the coldest January, the temperature here “drops” to +26 degrees, and in the hottest month - April it is quite a bit more - +30 degrees. The rainy season here falls on June-October, and July and August are the most generous with precipitation.
6. Lae, Papua New Guinea (4,650 mm)
Another wet place on the body of our planet was on the northern coast of the island New Guinea which is washed by waters Pacific Ocean, namely in Huon Bay. Surprisingly, in this case, the abundance of precipitation benefited the area, because they learned how to grow tea and coffee plantations well. Exactly Agriculture is the main source of income for the Lae city budget. Although every time the rainy season comes, it seems that the downpours are about to wash the town straight into the ocean. But he somehow holds on, and even quite successfully.
7. Hilo, Hawaii (3,300 mm)
If you look at the image Hawaiian Islands on advertising brochures and websites travel companies, then it’s all palm trees, beaches and sea sunlight. However, it is not shown anywhere that heavy rains occur there, and very often. In the mountains of Maui, where it is located national park, 3 meters of celestial moisture falls per year, on the other islands it is even more - 4 meters. As for the city of Hilo, 3.3 meters of water drops per year fall from the sky onto its streets, houses and the heads of passers-by. And this is not surprising, because on average 272 days are rainy here.
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8. Kochi, India (3,230 mm)
This is another Indian tropical city, located in the south of the country, with the same monsoon climate. Over the entire year, the average number here is 132 rainy days, and the wettest months are from May to October. Kochi is located on west coast India, washed by the waters Arabian Sea Indian Ocean. It is partially located on a peninsula, as well as on a group of coastal islands, but at the other end it also climbs onto mainland, A total area it is 95 sq. km. Kochi is located very close to the equator (9°58’N latitude). The coldest time here is at +23 degrees, and greatest heat expressed in +31 degrees.
9. Taipei, Taiwan (2,405 mm)
Most of the year, island China is sunny and warm, however, in July-September 3-4 typhoons sweep through it. Taipei has a typical wet monsoon subtropical climate with humid and hot summers. It is then that typhoons bring heavy rainfall here. In general, the typhoon season is longer, as it lasts from May to November. Winter here is short and very mild, with frequent fogs. If the average summer temperature is +26-28 degrees, then in winter it drops to +14-16 degrees. From a tourism point of view, best time The best time to visit Taipei is in the spring (February-April), when it is not so hot here, but typhoons with heavy rains have not yet begun.
10. Bergen, Norway (2,250 mm)
In this Norwegian city it rains 300 days a year, which could not but leave an imprint on its lifestyle. In order to somehow brighten up their hopeless, wet existence, residents came up with the idea of wearing multi-colored rubber boots, raincoats with funny designs, and there were vending machines everywhere selling umbrellas, which the workers serving them had to replenish with new goods every day. Bergen residents even make jokes to themselves related to the rain. The city is surrounded by quite high mountains in a basin that is open only from the sea. Therefore, the clouds that have flown into the valley rest against the mountains and, having no other way out, are unloaded over the city with endless rains.
But an unpleasant weather surprise here cannot take you by surprise - after all, in the summer there will certainly be rain, and in the winter there will be snow, which, however, will instantly melt, since even in January average temperature It's above 0 degrees here. It is not surprising that in our age of globalization, when any city has a very diverse National composition, Bergen is 97% Norwegian. Foreigners simply cannot withstand such things for long weather conditions, constantly yearn for sunny days and are looking for any opportunity to get away from this town, far away, but closer to the sun and warmth. There is even a local joke about the weather: “A wet and dissatisfied tourist asks a local boy - tell me, boy, how long ago has this rain started? To which he replies: “I don’t know, because I’m only 7 years old.”
[:RU]One of the most amazing features our planet is the presence of completely different climatic conditions in different places, as if we were living on different planets. The planet's distance from the Sun, as well as the 23.5 degrees of Earth's axial tilt, contribute to differences in climate conditions in many places on Earth, especially those farther from the equator. However, some places on Earth experience little climate change at all. Year after year, residents of these areas see the same weather day after day.
In terms of areas that receive the most annual rainfall, many are located near large bodies of water or mountains. Most of the rainiest places on Earth are in close proximity to mountains and other elevations, which funnel clouds, creating permanent cloud traps that eventually release the moisture as precipitation. Because of this phenomenon, half of the wettest places on Earth are in Hawaii or located in the northeastern part of India.
10. Emei Shan - China - 8169 mm
The rainiest place in all of China, Emei Shan is located in Sichuan province in the south-central part of the country. The site was listed in 1996 World Heritage UNESCO, as it is home to Mount Emeishan, which is the highest of the four sacred mountains of Buddhism.
9. Cookie-Hawaii (USA) - 9293 mm
Kuki is a place on the island of Maui, Hawaii, where there is a mountain peak that rises 1765 meters above sea level, and which was formed as a result of the explosive force of a volcano many years ago. The eruption also created Mex Valley, which is the rainiest area in Hawaii today. Due to its natural value, diversity of flora and fauna species and beauty, the area is considered a nature reserve.
- Waialeale - Hawaii (USA) - 9763 mm
Waialeala receives so much rain every year that the ground is a constant mixture of mud, which in turn makes mountain tourism It is extremely dangerous here even for the most experienced tourists.
Waialeale translates to “water flowing” in Hawaiian, which makes sense given the abundance of rainfall.
- Big God - Hawaii (USA) - 10,272 mm
Recently, after ten years of studying the distribution of precipitation in Hawaii based on data collected at a weather station located in 1992, big swamp located on the territory national park Haleakala has been named the rainiest place in Hawaii. This claim is controversial due to the difficulties in collecting data in the area and its remote location.
However, the Great Marsh is a major tourist attraction for those seeking to immerse themselves in some of the most beautiful, green places to grace our planet.
- Debunja - Cameroon - 10299 mm
Debunja is a village located in the southwestern outskirts of Cameroon, in the southern part Atlantic Ocean on the coast of this African country. This area is the second wettest on African continent, was part of a German colony in the early 20th century. The Germans left behind a lighthouse that stood for more than 100 years.
Debunja gets most its precipitation due to its coastal location and proximity to Mount Cameroon. This mountain accumulates dense cloud formations, which allows moisture to fall in huge quantities.
- San Antonio de Ureca - Equatorial Guinea - 10450 mm
The wettest place on the African continent is San Antonio de Ureca, a city located in Equatorial Guinea, island state near the slightly less rainy village of Debunja. San Antonio de Ureca is located in the southwest of the island, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, just north of the equator. It rains heavily most days of the year.
- Kropp River - New Zealand— 11516 mm
Situated along western New Zealand, near the Tasmanian Sea, the Cropp River flows among mountainous area, which contributes sharply increased level precipitation. Between October 1997 and October 1998, the Cropp River Valley received an incredible 18,413 mm of rainfall.
- Tutunendo - Colombia - 11770 mm
The small village of Tutendo, with a population of less than 1,000 people, has the reputation of being the rainiest place in South America. All houses in this region are waterproof to keep the indoors dry. Even during the driest season from February to March, it rains 20 days a month.
- Cherrapunji - India - 11777 mm
Less than 16 kilometers from the official wettest place on Earth, the Cherrapunji region is where It is raining almost every day. The Guinness Book of World Records states that this region holds the record for the largest number precipitation in one month - 9300 mm of precipitation in July 1861.
- Mavsunram - India - 11871 mm
The argument for why the region is the wettest place on earth is that Mawsunram receives an average of 94 mm more rainfall than Cherrapunji, an increase of about 0.7 percent.
To dampen the sound of the incessant rain, many residential buildings are lined with thatched roofs, which absorb the effects of the constantly falling water.
However, I don’t really want to go on vacation to such places. In our climate with a constant lack of warmth and sunny days on vacation, I want to get closer to the sunny seashore to take a ride on a luxury yacht. Yacht rental in Montenegro will be the best way understand what real sea travel is, get the sea positive emotions, make your vacation exciting and romantic.[:]
Oddly enough, the wettest and most dry place on the ground adjacent to each other and located along different sides mountain range. In South America.
About 80 million years ago, the South American continent began to be rocked by volcanic eruptions, which continue to this day. Under the influence of shifts occurring in depth earth's crust, the longest mountain range on Earth, the Andes, rose along the entire length of the continent. The mountains stretch for 8 thousand kilometers. The peaks are so high that even at the equator they are covered with snow and ice.
The high slopes of the Andes have created completely new natural areas on the continent. This giant barrier changed the climate South America and corrected the map of the entire continent, causing the main rivers to flow east.
One mighty river currently irrigates 40% of South America. This is Amazon largest river on the ground. From the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean it travels more than 6.5 thousand kilometers, carrying 1/5 of the entire river water of our planet. 1.5 thousand kilometers before joining the ocean, its main channel is more than 15 kilometers wide. Interesting fact: not a single bridge has been built across the Amazon.
Every year great Amazon overflows its banks, flooding forests over an area the size of England. At the peak of the flood, trees can be submerged 10 meters in water.
The Amazon and its tributaries irrigate the largest a tropical forest on the ground. Amazonian jungle cover the space from the Andes to the Atlantic with an almost continuous carpet and are the wettest place on earth.
The Amazon lies to the east of the Andes, and powerful tropical rains pour over the jungle, feeding it with water. But the mountains act as an obstacle to the winds carrying moisture from the east, so that on the western side of the mountains there are places where not a drop of rain falls. Here is the driest desert in the world - the Atacama. This is a narrow strip between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean. The Atacama may not have rain for several years and the humidity level is zero. It’s hard to imagine how one can survive here, but some people manage to do it. The key to life for the desert is the Pacific Ocean. Every morning a blanket of fog, coming from the Pacific Ocean, spreads over the desert. Fog is almost the only source of water in the desert. This moisture early morning condenses on the spines of cacti and on lichens growing on cacti. This water is the only life-giving moisture for the selfless inhabitants of Atacama. More water not in the desert.
Atacama has one of the most unusual places on the planet – Moon Valley (Valle de la Luna). This place will resemble the lunar surface thanks to unique formations made of salt, sand and rocks scattered several million years ago by a nearby volcano. In the valley you can observe amazing lifeless landscapes and a sunset of unearthly beauty, which delights with its range of colors. This is where many science fiction films were filmed.