In Western Cape Province, the Breede River Valley and the Karoo region lie in the rain shadow of the Cape Fold Mountains and are arid; whereas the wettest parts of the Cape Mountains can receive 1,500 millimetres (59in), Worcester receives only around 200 millimetres (8in) and is useful only for grazing.
Asia
Central and Northern Asia
The Himalayas and connecting ranges also contribute to arid conditions in Central Asia including Mongolia's Gobi Desert, as well as the semi-arid steppes of Mongolia and north-central to northwestern China.
The central region of Myanmar is in the rain shadow of the Arakan Mountains and is almost semi-arid with only 750 millimetres (30in) of rain, versus up to 5.5 metres (220in) on the Rakhine State coast.
The plains around Tokyo, Japan – known as Kantō Plain – during winter experiences significantly less precipitation than the rest of the country by virtue of surrounding mountain ranges, including the Japanese Alps, blocking prevailing northwesterly winds originating in Siberia.
Southern Asia
The eastern regions of the Western Ghats lie in a rain shadow, receiving far less rainfall.
The Thar Desert is bounded and rain shadowed by the Aravalli ranges to the southeast, the Himalaya to the northeast, and the Kirthar and Sulaiman ranges to the west.
The Central Highlands of Sri Lanka rain shadow the northeastern parts of the island, which experience much less severe summer monsoon rains and instead have precipitation peaks in autumn and winter.
