Before Incas moved into parts of the Atacama, the Atacameno tribe inhabited parts of the Desert. Few of the tribe remain today and those few have lost the native language.

The human intrusion into the Atacama is minimal. There are a few towns, mostly on the coast, a few highways and roads and mining operations in the northern parts of the desert.

The northern quarter of Chile is covered by the Atacama Desert.

Until 2005, scientists had failed to detect any life in the Atacama Desert in Chile. But, in 2005, they cracked open Sodium Chlyoride (Salt) rocks in the desert and discovered microscopic green bacteria. They tested some of the bacteria at Sheffield University in 2006 and discovered that they eat away at the salt rock, and when the humidity rarely climbs to 75% about once a year (average daily humidity 10%, the lowest anywhere on Earth), the salt, which is an extremely good rock for soaking up water, soaks all the water up and the bacteria 'drink' the water that gets stored in the salt.

The Atacama Desert is located in northern Chile, southern Peru and small parts of Bolivia and Argentina.

Humans tear up deserts with mining operations. They destroy habitats and set the stage for erosion by riding 4WD and all terrain vehicles across the deserts off of established roads. Humans consider the desert a trash dump and all manner of garbage is left there including old cars, discarded appliances, used motor oil.

I am sure the name was given to the desert by some ancient tribe in the area and the meaning is now lost. The Atacameno tribe took its name from the area but we do not know if they were the ones to name the desert or if they simply were given the name because they lived in the desert that already had that name.

In 1971 parts of the Atacama Desert received the first significant precipitation in nearly 400 years.

In the Atacama there are a few insects, a few lizards and, in some areas, some rodents and foxes and the rare guanaco.

Chile, South America, holds about 75% of the Atacama with the remaining 25% in Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. It is located between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Most of it is a high plateau between the Andes and the Coastal Range.

They must be capable of surviving on only the small amount of moisture provided by the fog that moves into parts of the desert off the Pacific Ocean. A few cacti and lichens manage to survive.

Parts of the Atacama are in Chile, Peru, Argentina and Bolivia.

Guanacos only live on the fringes of the Atacama where frequent fog is experienced. This fog allows some cacti and lichen to grow and the animals feed on the lichen and cactus blooms. They receive enough moisture from the plants to survive.

The Atacama is 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.

During summer (January, February and March) the temperature fluctuates between 27°C (81°F) and a minimum of 16°C (61°F) at night. Hope this helps. The atacama desert is located in northern Chile and is the driest desert in the world!

The Andes Mountains and the Coastal Range shield the Atacama from receiving significant atmospheric moisture.

In the desert itself, some people make a living in the mining industry. Along the coasts, fishermen ply their trade. In the cities you ave the normal work that one would find in any city or town - banking, retail, wholesale and a host of other occupations. Except for some very small operations near isolated aquifers, there is virtually no farming in the desert.

The Tropic of Capricorn lies at 23° 26′ 16″ south of the Equator and runs just north of the city of Antofogasta in the Atacama Desert.

There is virtually no water in the Atacama so food cannot be grown there. Drinking water must be piped in from elsewhere and food trucked in from other areas. There is very little employment available except for some mining operations. Building materials for homes must be brought in from the outside. The weather is actually quite pleasant but living conditions are very difficult because of the location.

The average temperature (high) is about 25 degrees C (77 degrees F) but some areas can get even hotter. Lows in same areas may drop to near or below 0 degrees C. at night. It is considered a cool (or cold) desert. The temperature is moderated by the cold Pacific Ocean to the west.

Yes, there are few plants and animals that are able to survive in the arid environment.

The Atacama is located between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

it will probably be very hot and dry and there will be plants just they will be small hope that helps!:)

A desert is sometimes defined as an area with a rainfall of less than 250mm a year, therefore New Zealand does not have any significant areas of true desert. Some small areas of inland Otago and Canterbury in the South Island do have this low an annual rainfall, but only just.

Introduced wild mammals in these areas are mainly rabbits and hares. There are farmed sheep. As there are no native mammals in New Zealand (other than two types of bat) other animals in these areas are birds (such as the Australasian Harrier), insects and reptiles.

One reason for the misconception that New Zealand has desert is the name for one of the State highways in the central North Island being the Desert Road.