Which continent is the driest on average?

Antarctica is the driest continent on average. Its interior receives extremely little precipitation, so it is classified as a polar desert despite being covered by a massive ice sheet.

The continent is also the coldest, windiest, and highest on average. Most of its precipitation falls as snow near the coast, while the high interior can go long periods with almost no snowfall. Because the air is cold, it holds little water vapor, contributing to the continent’s extreme aridity.

Antarctica contains about 90 percent of the world’s surface freshwater in its ice. The ice can be more than four kilometers thick in places, but that does not make the continent wet in the climatic sense. A desert is defined primarily by limited precipitation, not by hot temperatures; this is why Antarctica and the Arctic can qualify as deserts.