Atacama
Coordinates: 24°30′S 69°15′W / 24.5°S 69.25°W / -24.5; -69.25
| Atacama Desert | |
| Desert | |
| Atacama by NASA World Wind | |
| Countries | Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina |
|---|---|
| Area | 105,000 km2 (40,541 sq mi) |
| Biome | Desert |
| Map of Atacama Desert. The area most commonly defined as Atacama is yellow. In orange are the outlying arid areas of Sechura Desert, Altiplano, Puna de Atacama and Norte Chico. | |
The Atacama Desert (Spanish: Desierto de Atacama) is a plateau in South America, covering a 600-mile (1,000 km) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. It is, according to NASA, National Geographic and many other publications, the driest desert in the world. The Atacama occupies 40,600 square miles (105,000 km2) in northern Chile, composed mostly of salt lakes (salares), sand, and felsic lava flows towards the Andes.
Read more about Atacama: Setting, Aridity, Weather, Human Occupation, Astronomical Observatories, El Tatio Geyser, Termos Baños De Puritama, Gallery, Protected Areas, Legends