Endorheic

Reading up on endorheic basins, places where water does not drain out to the ocean, where what rain falls will be retained or evaporated.

An endorheic basin is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but drainage converges instead into lakes or swamps, permanent or seasonal, that equilibrate through evaporation.

The Valley of Mexico was endorheic, but now drains through artificial canals.

For the real endorheic enthusiast, Australia is the place.

If you find endorheic basins somewhat eerie, as I do, I suggest you don’t even read up on cryptorheic basins, where the water flows out through subterranean karst.

(source for that map)