The wettest place on Earth - in pictures
Perched atop a ridge in the Khasi Hills of India’s north-east, Mawsynram has the highest average rainfall – 467in (11.86 metres) of rain per year – thanks to summer air currents gathering moisture over the floodplains of Bangladesh. When the clouds hit the steep hills of Meghalaya they are compressed to the point where they can no longer hold their moisture. The end result is near constant rain
-
The village of Mawsynram, seen from above
-
Clouds curl over the eastern edge of Mawsynram village, where cliffs drop almost vertically to the floodplains below
-
An elderly Khasi woman arrives at Sunday mass in Mawsynram’s Catholic church
-
Rain hammers down on a roof in the village
Photograph: Amos Chapple/Rex
-
-
Schoolchildren cross a bridge made from the roots of a rubber tree
-
People sheltering under umbrellas on market day in Mawsynram
-
A farmer wearing a traditional ‘knup’ umbrella while working
-
A ‘living ladder’ created from the roots of a rubber tree
-
-
A fisherman walks under an ancient tree root bridge at Mawlynnong village
-
A Khasi boy has his turban tightly twisted into place by his grandfather before an annual Khasi festival
Photograph: Amos Chapple/Rex
-
Winchester Lyngkhoi carries fresh meat up to his butcher’s stall on market day
Photograph: Amos Chapple/Rex
-
The weather station on the outskirts of Mawsynram
Photograph: Amos Chapple/Rex
-
Labourers wearing traditional ‘knup’ umbrellas walk into Mawsynram
-
Goats shelter in a bus stop during a drizzly afternoon
-
The sign at the entrance to village