Atacama

Atacama

Introduction

Atacama — a region roughly twice the size of Italy — boasts one of the most Mars-like natural environments on Earth. On this barren, highly acidic soil, not even bacteria can survive. One of the reasons for this extreme condition is the lack of water. This is the driest place on Earth, where rainfall is measured only in millimeters per decade, and some parts of the desert have seen no precipitation whatsoever for hundreds of years.

Traveling about eight hours north from Chile’s capital, Santiago, you’ll reach Antofagasta, the most densely populated city in the Atacama Desert. Local weather records show that the city has only 20 cloudy days per year, with the rest being clear skies. The average annual rainfall is just 3 millimeters, and most surrounding areas haven’t seen rain for 40 to 100 years. This is why the Atacama Desert is known as the “driest place on Earth.”

The Atacama Desert spans 160 kilometers in width and 1,000 kilometers in length, bordering the Pacific Ocean. Logically, it shouldn’t be arid, but the Andes Mountains to the north act as a barrier, blocking the moist air from the Amazon River from moving southward. Additionally, the area is dominated by offshore winds that run parallel to the coast, and it is also traversed by the cold Peru Current. When coastal air comes into contact with the surface of the cold current, the lower layers cool, causing moisture to form fog rather than rise and condense into clouds that would produce rain. It is said that there is a spot in the region, referred to by scientists as an “absolute desert,” which has had no recorded rainfall since Spanish meteorologists established an observation station there in 1870.

Due to the near absence of rain, houses in the Atacama region do not have eaves to block rainfall. Most roofs are flat and do not need to be sloped for drainage. Some families even build a low wall around their rooftops to store household items. Although cities have crisscrossing streets, roads lack drainage systems. Most people don’t even know what umbrellas or raincoats are, and shops — big or small — do not sell any rain gear. Due to the lack of rain protection infrastructure, even a slight amount of rainfall can cause a citywide commotion, leaving everyone scrambling in a flurry.

Santiago, Chile