Talk:Earth rainfall climatology

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Australia as driest continent?

Australia is here claimed to be the driest continent, which might be true for the mainland, given that Tasmania is visible in the picture, and with an average rainfall of 1,400mm, significantly boosts Australia's rainfall to just under Africa's.

However Bass Strait, which separates Tasmania from the mainland is both wider and deeper than Torres Strait, the island of New Guinea being ignored in the Australian - or more correctly Sahulian - average rainfall tally. I.e. Australia is being treated in your article as a political entity rather than the actual physical continent.

Mainland New Guinea's driest region is Port Moresby, receiving 850mm a year. Highland towns in valleys, like Goroka receive 1,700mm or more. The whole island would receive on average about 2,000mm or more while Mount Bosavi on the rainiest south side of the island is thought to be the wettest place in the world with 330 rain-days per year (compare the highest rainfall in NE Australia) - no one lives there permanently! Hence the Gulf of Papua alone puts out as much water as the Mississippi! Hence the Australian section - describing the proper continent, not a political entity - needs to be rewritten and recalculated.