8. Islamic Republic of Mauritania – 92 mm/year
With about three-quarters of its land being desert or semi-desert, it’s no wonder that Mauritania is on our list of the 10 countries with the Lowest Rainfall. In the part of the country that is covered by Sahara, diurnal variations in temperature are extreme, for example during the period from May to July they range from 60.8 °F (16 °C) in the morning to more than 120.2 °F (49 °C) by the afternoon. In an attempt to fight expanding desert, the Mauritanian government planted 250,000 palm trees, as a barrier to protect capital city of Nouakchott. In west-central Mauritania is the Richat Structure, also known as the Eye of the Sahara, an eroded, elliptical dome with a diameter of 40 kilometers (25 mi). Its mystical beauty was discovered during the Gemini IV space mission in 1965.
