What is so special about the Atacama Desert in Chile?
The Atacama Desert is the driest nonpolar desert in the world, as well as the only true desert to receive less precipitation than the polar deserts and the largest fog desert in the world. Both regions have been used as experimentation sites on Earth for Mars expedition simulations.
Where is the Atacama Desert located in Chile?
northern Chile
Atacama Desert, Spanish Desierto de Atacama, cool, arid region in northern Chile, 600 to 700 miles (1,000 to 1,100 km) long from north to south. Its limits are not exactly determined, but it lies mainly between the south bend of the Loa River and the mountains separating the Salado-Copiapó drainage basins.
Does anyone live in the Atacama Desert?
Surprisingly, around one million people call the Atacama Desert home. crowding into coastal fishing villages, mining areas and oasis towns. Inhabitants grow dry-weather produce such as olives, tomatoes and cucumbers, and herd alpacas for a living. The desert is also famous for mining copper.
Is the Atacama Desert the hottest desert in the world?
The Atacama Desert. Although the 40,441-square-mile (104,741-square-kilometer) Atacama Desert of Chile and Peru is a very hot desert with daytime temperatures hovering around 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in the hot season, some places in the world get hotter.
Which desert is rich in gold reserves?
Explanation: The Atacama desert is rich in metallic mineral resources such as copper, gold,etc.
Is the Patagonian Desert Hot or cold?
Geography and climate. The Patagonian Desert is the largest of the 40° parallel and is a large cold winter desert, where the temperature rarely exceeds 12 °C and averages just 3 °C. The region experiences about seven months of winter and five months of summer.
What happened in Atacama Desert in Chile in 1971?
Flooding hits Chile’s Atacama desert. The worst flooding in over a decade. Hundreds forced from their homes. Hundreds of people have been forced from their homes after four days of heavy rain brought flooding to Chile’s Atacama Desert.
What 3 reasons make the Atacama Desert the driest desert on Earth?
This mix of mountains, winds, and ocean currents combines to make the Atacama incredibly dry. The Atacama is also one of the oldest deserts in the world. Scientists think parts of it have been dry for at least 20 million years and maybe as long as 40 million years.
Is Patagonia a cold desert?
The Patagonian Desert is the largest of the 40° parallel and is a large cold winter desert, where the temperature rarely exceeds 12 °C and averages just 3 °C. Frost is not uncommon in the desert but, due to the very dry condition year round, snow is rare.
How long is the Atacama Desert in Chile?
Atacama Desert, Spanish Desierto de Atacama, cool, arid region in northern Chile, 600 to 700 miles (1,000 to 1,100 km) long from north to south. Its limits are not exactly determined, but it lies mainly between the south bend of the Loa River and the mountains separating the Salado-Copiapó drainage basins.
What percentage of the Atacama Desert is protected?
Conservation. Protected. 3,385 km² (3%) The Atacama Desert ( Spanish: Desierto de Atacama) is a desert plateau in South America covering a 1,600 km (990 mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes Mountains running through Chile and Peru. The Atacama Desert is the driest nonpolar desert in the world,
Where is fresh water found in the Atacama Desert?
In the Atacama Desert of Chile, fresh water is extracted from fog and used to irrigate crops of Aloe vera in Chañaral province. The Atacama Desert forms part of the arid Pacific fringe of South America.
What causes the Atacama Desert to be arid?
Atacama Desert. Along the coast the aridity is also a consequence of the Peru (Humboldt) Current, which is characterized by upwelling (the upward movement of cold water from the depths of the ocean ); the resulting cold water at the surface causes a thermal inversion—cold air at sea level and stable warmer air higher up.