Is There A Desert In South America?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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The Atacama Desert

forms part of the arid Pacific fringe of South America. Dry subsidence created by the South Pacific high-pressure cell makes the desert one of the driest regions in the world.

What is the desert called in South America?


The Atacama Desert (Spanish: Desierto de Atacama)

is a desert plateau in South America covering a 1,600 km (990 mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes Mountains.

What are the 3 deserts in South America?

  • La Guajira Desert. The La Guajira Desert is located in Colombia's northernmost part, about 1,100 km north of Bogota. …
  • Monte Desert. …
  • Sechura Desert. …
  • Atacama Desert. …
  • Patagonian Desert.

Is Chile mostly desert?

Chile's

Atacama Desert

, the driest nonpolar desert on Earth, stretches across a roughly 600-mile (1,000 kilometers) tract of land wedged between the coastal Cordillera de la Costa mountain range and the Andes Mountains.

What are the major deserts in South America?

  • Eastern Patagonia Desert – Argentina. …
  • Dunes of Cabo Polonio – Uruguay. …
  • Atacama Desert – Chile. …
  • Desert of Siloli – Bolivia. …
  • Coastal Desert of Peru – Peru. …
  • La Tatacoa Desert – Colombia. …
  • Médanos de Coro – Venezuela. …
  • La Guajira Desert – Colombia.

What is the biggest desert in South America?


Argentina and Chile's Patagonian Desert

is the largest desert in South America and eighth largest in the world. Patagonia covers a vast area of land at the south of the continent between the Andes Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.

What are the 4 types of deserts?

The four main types of desert include

hot and dry deserts, semi-arid deserts, coastal deserts, and cold deserts

.

What is the best desert in the world?

  • Danakil, Ethiopia. …
  • Thar, India. …
  • Namib, Namibia. …
  • Sahara, Morocco. …
  • Atacama, Chile. …
  • White Desert, Egypt. …
  • Dasht-e Kavir, Iran. …
  • Gobi, Mongolia. Located around 3,300 feet above sea level, the Gobi Desert is a mammoth region that's comprised of extensive steppes, mountains and sandy desert.

What is the biggest desert in America?


The Great Basin Desert

is the largest desert area of North America. It is also the most northerly, covering most of Nevada (Ne), the western third of Utah (U) and parts of Idaho (Id) and Oregon (Or).

Why is the Monte desert a desert?

Geography and climate

Due to the region lying on the eastern, or leeward, side of the Andes and west of the Sierra de Córdoba,

it experiences very little rain

. These rain shadow effects are the primary reason for the aridity of the region and the formation of the Monte and other nearby deserts.

Which is the largest desert in Asia?


The Gobi Desert

is the largest desert in Asia, spanning over 1,600 km (1,000 miles) over China and Mongolia, and the 5th largest desert in the world.

What is the biggest desert in the world?

The largest desert on earth is

the Antarctic desert

, covering the continent of Antarctica with a size of around 5.5 million square miles. The term desert includes , subtropical deserts, cold winter and cool coastal deserts, and are based on their geographical situation.

Are there places where it never rains?

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.

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.

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.

How safe is Chile?

Chile is amongst the safest countries on Earth

It is

usually considered the safest country in South America

, together with Uruguay. Thanks to its low crime rates and nice behavior towards travelers, the “thin country” can be considered a very safe destination (especially if you visit its spectacular national parks).

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.