Atacama Desert

1.) The high Andes Mountains to the east that block moisture from the Amazon Basin and Atlantic Ocean from reaching the Atacama.

2.) The coastal mountain ranges that prevent Pacific moisture from reaching the desert.

3.) The cold Humboldt Current in the Pacific brings cold water to the coastline that has little evaporation.

4.) I perpetual inversion layer hangs over the desert. The upper atmosphere is warmer that the surface air. This prevents convection that could form rain clouds.

5.) Even when there is evaporation from the Pacific, the prevailing winds are from the east and the moisture is blown in a westerly direction, away from the desert.

Both the Altiplano and the Atacama Desert are high, desert plateaus.

The Atacama is located in the countries of Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.

In the Atacama Desert there are very few weather observatories so we do not know the absolute hottest temperature experienced there. However, the summer temperature rarely ever rises above 80 degrees F. It us usually about 70 to 75 degrees.

The Atacama Desert is classified as a 'cold' desert where temperatures rarely rise above 75 or 80 degrees F. in the summer. If a person limits physical activity he/she might survive a few days (2-4) without water.

the desert is very large and I, personally, would not blame the people of South America for not living there. also most areas receive no rainfall each year. The place is a barren wasteland!

The Atacama rarely has any clouds, the air is clear and free of pollution and humidity. Since few people live there, there is virtually no light pollution. Temperatures are not extreme - neither too hot nor too cold.

The Atacama is cool and dry.

The Atacama has few large predators. The South American Gray Fox is the largest that is found there. The cougar is pretty much extinct in the Atacama but may be found on the western margin of the desert.

Most buildings are constructed of brick, rock or adobe in the Atacama Desert. In larger cities along the coast more modern construction materials may be used.

The War of the Pacific - 1879 - 1883. Chile fought Peru and Bolivia for control of the northern Atacama Desert. Chile won. To this day, Bolivia is demanding that the area be returned to Bolivia. They even have a national holiday called the "Dia del Mar" or "Day of the Sea."

The atmospheric flow in this area of South America is from the east, from the Atlantic Ocean. Any moisture would be forced to drop as rain or snow on the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains and nothing would fall on the western, or Atacama side, so no glaciers could form. The same lack of moisture is what causes the Atacama Desert.

There is a good highway that follows the entire 600 mile length of the desert and one can travel that distance in 10-12 hours in a car. There are few places to purchase gas along the route so take care to fill up your tank at every opportunity.

Yes, the Atacama Desert of Chile on the western side of the Andes and the Monte Desert of Argentina is on the eastern side of the Andes but southeast of the Atacama?

Driest areas on earth.

Calama is located in the Atacama Desert of Chile. It is the capital of El Loa Province, part of the Antofagasta Region. Calama is one of the driest cities in the world with average annual precipitation of just 5 mm.

That would be South America. The Amazon Rainforest is in Brazil and parts of northern Peru. The Atacama Desert is in Chile and the southern part of Peru.

The Atacama is located in the Southern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere.

The Atacama covers a large area and some areas have not experienced rain in historic times (over 400 years) while other areas may receive a few sprinkles nearly every year. It has probably rained somewhere in the Atacama at least once each year.

They are called the Nazca Lines. For more information click here.

No, the smallest desert is the Carcross Desert in the Yukon at one square mile. However, it isn't a true desert.

There are seasonal salt lakes and fresh water oases in the Atacama. In addition there is water vapor in the air which ranges from a relative humidity of about 5% to other regions with relative humidities of 75%. In some areas dense fog rolls in from the Pacific raising the relative humidity to 100%. In these areas some towns have created equipment to 'harvest' water from the air for use in homes. Rain is almost unheard of in the Atacama.

The Andes Mountain range is so tall that it blocks the moisture from the Amazon River basin from reaching the west coast of Chile and therefore the Atacama Desert receives virtually no rainfall, making it a desert.

Calama, Chile, in the Atacama Desert, is one of the driest cities in the world with an average annual precipitation of about 5 mm per year.

1.) The high Andes Mountains to the east that block moisture from the Amazon Basin and Atlantic Ocean from reaching the Atacama.

2.) The coastal mountain ranges that prevent Pacific moisture from reaching the desert.

3.) The cold Humboldt Current in the Pacific brings cold water to the coastline that has little evaporation.

4.) A perpetual inversion layer hangs over the desert. The upper atmosphere is warmer that the surface air. This prevents convection that could form rain clouds.

5.) Even when there is evaporation from the Pacific, the prevailing winds are from the east and the moisture is blown in a westerly direction, away from the desert.