Atacama Desert: The Driest Place On Earth
By: EjazUlHaqBhat
Image: Pexels
The Atacama Desert in Chile is widely recognised as the driest nonpolar desert in the world
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It receives less than 1 mm of rainfall annually, and some areas haven't seen rain in centuries
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Located in northern Chile, it's a high-altitude plateau between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean
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The Andes Mountains and the Chilean Coastal Range create a rain shadow effect, preventing moisture from reaching the desert
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Despite its extreme dryness, the desert is known as world's largest fog desert, with fog providing some moisture, particularly in coastal areas
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The desert supports a unique ecosystem with plants and animals adapted to the arid environment
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Its extreme aridity and similarities to the Martian environment have made it a popular site for Mars expedition simulations
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The high elevation and dry air make the desert an ideal location for astronomical observatories
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