Atacama Desert (chile)
Extending north from the city of Copiapó, the area runs from
north to south for a distance of some 600 to 700 mi (1,000 to 1,100 km) and
covers most of the Antofagasta region and the northern part of the Atacama
region.
Because of its location between low coastal mountains and a higher
inland range, the region is meteorologically anomalous. Despite its low
latitude, summer temperatures average only about 65 °F (18 °C), and, though
heavy fogs are common, the desert is one of the driest regions in the world.
Some areas receive heavy rain only two to four times a century. For much of the
19th century, the desert was the object of conflicts between Chile, Bolivia,
and Peru; after the War of the Pacific (1879–83), Chile emerged with permanent
ownership of sectors previously controlled by Peru and Bolivia. For years
before the development of synthetic methods of fixing nitrogen, the desert was
a chief source of the world's nitrates.
