Atacama Desert

[ ah-tuh-kah-muh dez-ert, at-uh-kam-uh; Spanish ah-tah-kah-mah ]

noun

1. an arid region in N Chile: rich nitrate deposits. About 600 miles (960 km) long; about 70,000 sq. mi. (181,300 sq. km).

Atacama Desert

/ ataˈkama /

noun

1. a desert region along the W coast of South America, mainly in N Chile: a major source of nitrates. Area: about 80 000 sq km (31 000 sq miles)

Example Sentences

The Atacama Desert, which runs along the Pacific Coast in Chile, is the driest place on the planet and, largely because of that aridity, hostile to most living things.

From Science Daily

The scene takes place in the Atacama Desert in Chile, one of the planet’s oldest and driest deserts.

From New York Times

The foundation also contributed $40 million to the $110 million Simons Observatory, a telescope high in Chile’s Atacama Desert that recently began operations.

From Science Magazine

In recent years, the foundation has funded a new observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert to observe microwave background radiation from the big bang, and created the Flatiron Institute, which applies computational methods to scientific research.

From Science Magazine

At the pole the cold air is even more stable than it is in the bone-dry Atacama Desert, he notes.

From Science Magazine