Question: What country has the highest average rainfall?

Cherrapunji


Cherrapunji (/ˌtʃɛrəˈpʌndʒi, -ˈpʊn-/(listen); with the native name Sohra being more commonly used, and can also be spelled Cherrapunjee or Cherrapunji) is a subdivisional town in the East Khasi Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya. It is the traditional capital of aNongkhlaw hima (Khasi tribal chieftainship constituting a petty state), both known as Sohra or Churra.
Cherrapunji has often been credited as being the wettest place on Earth, but for now nearby Mawsynram currently holds that distinction. Cherrapunji still holds the all-time record for the most rainfall in a calendar month and in a year, however: it received 9,300 millimetres (370in; 30.5ft) in July 1861 and 26,461 millimetres (1,041.8in; 86.814ft) between 1 August 1860 and 31 July 1861.[1]
History
The history of the Khasi people – native inhabitants of Cherrapunji – may be traced from the early part of the 16th century. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, these people were ruled by their tribal 'Syiems (rajas or chiefs) of Khyriem' in the Khasi Hills. The Khasis hills came under British authority in 1883 with the submission of the last of the important Syiems, Tirot Sing.
The main pivot on which the entire superstructure of Khasi society rests is the matrilineal system.
The original name for this town was Sohra (soh-ra), which was pronounced "Churra" by the British. This name eventually evolved into the current name, Cherrapunji, meaning 'land of oranges', which was first used by tourists from other parts of India.

Despite abundant rainfall, Cherrapunji faces an acute water shortage and the inhabitants often have to trek very long distances to obtain potable water.[2] Irrigation is hampered due to excessive rain washing away the topsoil as a result of human encroachment into the forests.
The Meghalaya state government has renamed Cherrapunji back to its original name, "Sohra". There is a monument to David Scott (British Administrator in NE India, 1802–31) in the Cherrapunji cemetery.
Geography

Cherrapunji is located at . It has an average elevation of 1,484 metres (4,869ft) and sits on a plateau in the southern part of the Khasi Hills, facing the plains of Bangladesh. The plateau rises 660 meters above the surrounding valleys.
Soils on the plateau are poor owing to deforestation and washout caused by heavy rainfall. Owing to winter droughts, the vegetation in this location is even xerophytic in spite of the fame of Cherrapunji as an extremely wet place. Additional pressure on local ecosystems is created by the rapid increase of the population — from a Sohra-area population of 7,000 in 1960, it grew to over 100,000 by 2000.[3]
Valleys around Cherrapunji, however, are covered with lush and very diverse vegetation, containing numerous endemic species of plants, including Meghalaya subtropical forests. Although there is heavy rainfall in Cherrapunji, there is a high scarcity of clean water.
There are some interesting living root bridges in Cherrapunjee like the Umshiang root bridge, Mawsaw root bridge, Ritymmen root bridge etc. 
The Shillong Plateau is an uplifted horst-like feature, bounded by the E-W Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) to the North, the N-S Jamuna fault in the west, and the NW-SE kopilli fracture zone in the east.
Climate

Sohra or Cherrapunji has a mild subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb), with monsoonal influences typical of India. The city's annual rainfall average stands at 11,777 millimetres (463.7in).[4] This figure places it behind only nearby Mawsynram, Meghalaya, whose average is 11,873 millimetres (467.4in). Cherrapunji receives both the southwest and northeast monsoonal winds, giving it a single monsoon season. It lies on the windward side of the Khasi Hills, so the resulting orographic lift enhances precipitation. In the winter months it receives the northeast monsoon showers that travel down the Brahmaputra valley. The driest months are November, December, January and February. 
Temperatures average 11.5°C (52.7°F) in January and 20.6°C (69.1°F) in August, and the annual mean is 17.3°C (63.1°F)
Cherrapunji holds two Guinness world records for receiving the maximum amount of rainfall in a single year: 26,471 millimetres (1,042.2in) of rainfall between August 1860 and July 1861 and for receiving the maximum amount of rainfall in a single month: 9,300 millimetres (370in) in July 1861.[5]

Causes of high rainfall



Cherrapunji receives rains from the Bay of Bengal arm of the Indian summer monsoon. The monsoon clouds fly unhindered over the plains of Bangladesh for about 400km. Thereafter, they hit the Khasi Hills which rise abruptly from the plains to a height of about 1,370m above mean sea level within 2 to 5km. The geography of the hills with many deep valley channels encompassing the low-flying (150–300m) moisture-laden clouds from a wide area converges over Cherrapunji. The winds push the rain clouds through these gorges and up the steep slopes. The rapid ascent of the clouds into the upper atmosphere hastens the cooling and helps vapours to condense. Most of Cherrapunji's rain is the result of air being lifted as a large body of water vapour. The extreme amount of rainfall at Cherrapunji is perhaps the best-known feature of orographic rain in northeast India.
Occasionally, cloudbursts can occur in one part of Cherrapunji while other areas may be totally or relatively dry, reflecting the high spatial variability of the rainfall. Atmospheric humidity is extremely high during the peak monsoon period.
The major part of the rainfall at Cherrapunji can be attributed to the orographic features. When the clouds are blown over the hills from the south, they are funneled through the valley. The clouds strike Cherrapunjee perpendicularly and the low flying clouds are pushed up the steep slopes. It is not surprising to find that the heaviest rainfalls occur when the winds blow directly on the Khasi Hills.
A notable feature of monsoon rain at Cherrapunji is that most of it falls in the morning. This could be partly due to two air masses coming together. During the monsoon months, the prevailing winds along the Brahmaputra valley generally blow from the east or the northeast, but the winds over Meghalaya are from the south. These two winds systems usually come together in the vicinity of the Khasi Hills. Apparently, the winds that are trapped in the valley at night begin their upward ascent only after they are warmed during the day. This partially explains the frequency of morning rainfall. Apart from orographic features, atmospheric convection plays an important role during the monsoon and the period just preceding it.
Demographics
As of 2001 India census,[8] Cherrapunji had a population of 10,086, with males 48.75% of the total population and females 51.25%. Cherrapunji has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%, with a male literacy rate of 72.4% and a female one of 73.9%.
Culture
The locals living in and around Cherrapunji are known as Khasis. It is a matrilineal culture. After the wedding, the husband of the youngest daughter goes to live with his wife's family, who own the property of the family, while others live on their own getting a bit of the share. The children take on the surname of the mother.[9]
Cherrapunji is also famous for its living bridges. Over hundreds of years the people in Cherrapunji have developed techniques for growing roots of trees into large bridges. The process takes 10 to 15 years and the bridges typically last hundreds of years, the oldest ones in use being over 500 years old.[10]
Education
Sohra Government College is the only general degree college in Cherrapunji.
Media
Cherrapunji has an All India Radio relay station known as Akashvani Cherrapunji. It broadcasts on FM frequencies.
See also
Wettest places on Earth
Lloró
Big Bog, Maui
Quibdó
Villa Puerto Edén


Sources and external links
Cherrapunji travel guide from Wikivoyage