Atacama Desert Facts, Location And Area

Facts About Location And Size:

Atacama desert is located in Chile which is a South American country on the coastal areas of Pacific ocean. This desert starts from the Southern border of Peru and enters Chile from the Northern side and it stretches along the thin coastal strip of Chile. This driest desert in the world covers an area of 40,600 square miles.

Driest Place on Earth:

According to NASA, Atacama desert is the driest place in the world. As the annual precipitation is only 1 millimeter which is record low. Few parts of this desert have not received even a single drop of rainfall for centuries.  Because of this dryness, there is not life on these parts of the desert; no grass, no wild animals but their are remains of those animals which died on these killing areas. It is a well know fact, that without moisture nothing rots, so any animal which dies in this driest part on earth becomes an artifact. Despite of this, almost one million people are inhabited in Atacama desert which is an amazing thing to know.

Plant Life And Animals:

There are only few plants and animals on Atacama desert. Because of dryness few patches of plants can be seen on remote areas. These plants have adapted well according to the weather conditions. They have developed long roots to suck water from the earth. But along the coastal areas of The Pacific, there are more plant and animal species. The dryness of this desert is because of high mountains of the Andes which stops the clouds and low pressure air to reach the desert and leeward existence on the coastal area does not allow moisture to reach the desert as well.

Atacama Desert