Is The Atacama Desert The Driest Place On Earth?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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It is important to note that there does exist an even more arid desert on the planet: the dry valleys of Antarctica. Which is why it’s more precise to say that the

Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar place in the world

.

Why Atacama Desert is so dry?

Cold air can’t hold as much water vapor as warm air so it dries out any water left in the air. This

mix of mountains, winds, and ocean currents combines

to make the Atacama incredibly dry. The Atacama is also one of the oldest deserts in the world. … That is much older than other very dry deserts.

What is the driest place on earth?


The Atacama Desert in Chile

, known as the driest place on Earth, is awash with color after a year’s worth of extreme rainfall. In an average year, this desert is a very dry place.

Which country has no rain?

World: Longest Recorded Dry Period

The world’s lowest average yearly precipitation in 0.03′′ (0.08 cm) during a 59-year period at Arica

Chile

. Lane notes that no rainfall has ever been recorded at Calama in the Atacama Desert, Chile.

Is Atacama the driest place on earth?

The driest place on earth officially is in

the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile and southern Peru

, in western South America (Figure SM4. 3). There are locations in the Atacama that have not received measurable rainfall in decades.

Which country never has rain?

But the driest non-polar spot on Earth is even more remarkable. There are places in

Chile’s Atacama Desert

where rain has never been recorded—and yet, there are hundreds of species of vascular plants growing there.

Where is the hottest place on earth?

  • Kuwait – the hottest place on Earth in 2021. On June 22, the Kuwaiti city of Nuwaiseeb recorded the highest temperature in the world so far this year at 53.2C (127.7F). …
  • Hottest temperatures ever recorded. …
  • How temperature is measured. …
  • The world is getting hotter.

What is the driest place in America?


Death Valley

is famous as the hottest place on earth and driest place in North America.

Where is the least humid place on Earth?


McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

: the driest place on Earth

The Dry Valleys are so named because of their extremely low humidity and their lack of snow or ice cover.

Do humans live in the Atacama Desert?

Surprisingly,

around one million people

call the Atacama Desert home. Crowding into coastal fishing villages, mining areas and oasis towns. Inhabitants grow dry-weather produce such as olives, tomatoes and cucumbers, and herd alpacas for a living.

Is there any life in the Atacama Desert?

The climate of the Atacama Desert limits the number of animals living permanently in this extreme ecosystem. Some parts of the desert are so arid,

no plant or animal life can survive

. … Red scorpions also live in the desert.

What is so special about the Atacama Desert?

The Atacama is

the oldest desert on Earth

and has experienced semiarid conditions for roughly the past 150 million years, according to a paper in the November 2018 issue of Nature. … The average temperature in the desert is about 63 degrees F (18 degrees C).

What country has never fought a war?


Sweden

has not been part of a war since 1814. This makes Sweden the nation which has had the longest period of peace.

What was the longest time it has rained?

The wettest place on Earth is the village of Mawsynram in Meghalaya, India, which receives 467 inches of rain per year. In terms of a single storm, in 2014, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed a world record 48-hour rainfall of

98.15 inches

on June 15-16, 1995, in Cherrapunji, India.

Which countries have no winter?

Countries in the South Pacific like

Vanuatu, Fiji and Tuvalu

have never seen snow. Near the equator, most countries get very little snow unless they are home to mountains, which can have snowy peaks.

Which is the hottest country in the world?


Burkina Faso

is the hottest country in the world. The average yearly temperature is 82.85°F (28.25°C). Located in West Africa, the northern region of Burkina Faso is covered by the Sahara Desert. The country is susceptible to recurrent droughts, a severe problem for a nation that is consistently hot.

Diane Mitchell
Author
Diane Mitchell
Diane Mitchell is an animal lover and trainer with over 15 years of experience working with a variety of animals, including dogs, cats, birds, and horses. She has worked with leading animal welfare organizations. Diane is passionate about promoting responsible pet ownership and educating pet owners on the best practices for training and caring for their furry friends.