Atacama Desert – Key Facts

Syllabus: Geography (UPSC Prelims)

Location:

• The Atacama Desert is the driest desert in the world, located in northern Chile.
• It lies between the Andes Mountains (east) and the Pacific Ocean (west), stretching about 1,000 km along Chile’s coast¹.

Bordering Countries:

• Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina share borders with the Atacama region.

Climate & Features:

• Rainfall: Less than 1 mm annually; some areas have never received rainfall.
• Temperature: Mild year-round, averaging 18°C (63°F).
• Geology: Contains 12 volcanoes along the Andes’ western slopes.
• Resources: Rich in sodium nitrate deposits—used in fertilizers and explosives.
• Archaeology: Home to the Chinchorro mummies, the oldest artificially mummified human remains.

Recent Development – Cistanthe longiscapa

• A rare desert flower, locally called “pata de guanaco.”
• Survives extreme dryness by switching between C3 photosynthesis and CAM metabolism to save water.
• Scientists are studying it for drought-resistant crop research amid climate change.

1. Question Reference
   (HPAS PYQ 2025) ↩︎