Where does the most lightning happen on Earth?

The amount of lightning on the mainland is more than on the ocean and seems to occur more often near the equator.

The place where most lightning occurs on Earth

Lightning map on Earth.(Photo: NASA)

According to Earth Sky, the map shows the average number of annual lightning strikes per km2, during the period 1995-2013. Areas with the least amount of lightning are gray and purple. The area with the most amount of lightning (about 150 lightning per year / km2) has a bright pink color.The place with the most lightning in the world is in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Lake Maracaibo in northwestern Venezuela.

The lightning frequency on the mainland is higher than on the ocean because the solid part of the Earth's crust absorbs sunlight, and heats up faster than water. This causes more intense and unstable convection of the atmosphere, forming thunderstorms.

According to Daniel Cecil, expert at the Center for Global Climate and Hydrology at the US Aeronautics and Space Administration, the data also reveals some special trends in the region. Scientists observed that a large amount of lightning in India's Brahmaputra Valley occurred during May. Meanwhile, lightning occurred throughout the year in Central Africa and northwestern South America.