In search of adventure and new experiences, tourists climb even to the most remote corners of our planet, where the pristine nature and originality of the local population have been preserved. One such place is Chile. The Republic of South America is located on a map of a thin strip of land between the majestic Andes and the Pacific Ocean.
Unique and picturesque landscapes attract to these places like a magnet. It has everything and even deserts. Chile is best known for Atacama - the driest place on the planet.
Location and climate
The famous South American desert spreads over an area of 105 thousand square meters. km along the west coast of the mainland. Until 1983, its territory belonged to Bolivia. The aridity of the climate in these places is associated with many features of the relief and location. So, the cold surface Peruvian current of the Pacific Ocean, cooling the lower layers of atmospheric air, creates a temperature inversion, which is an obstacle to precipitation. This desert in Chile is the driest in the world (less than 10 mm of precipitation falls annually). However, the temperatures in it, contrary to all ideas about such places, are not too high. So, in January - an average of about 19-20 ° C, and in July - 13-14 ° C. In winter, frequent fogs are observed in some areas.
The driest desert
Scientists from all over the world come to Chile every year. They are the ones who compare desert landscapes with Martian ones. An attack can be absolutely objectively provided with the epithet "most." An interesting place, in some areas of which precipitation occurs once every several years, and some weather stations located in it, never recorded rain data at all. According to some reports, in the period from 1570 to 1971, there was no significant precipitation in it at all. Atacama in its uniqueness is ahead of other deserts. Chile, thanks to it, receives a steady stream of tourists annually.
In the desert, the lowest humidity was recorded, or rather its complete absence - 0%. High mountains have absolutely no glaciers, although permafrost is present. According to studies by scientists from the UK, the Atacama river channels are completely dry for more than 120 thousand years.
Minerals
The almost lifeless desert is rich in minerals, especially copper and a natural source of sodium nitrate (Chilean nitrate). Salt production was most actively carried out until the 40s of the last century and is to this day a stumbling block between Chile and Bolivia. In addition, there are deposits of iodine, borax and salt.
Desert flora
It is amazing, but true: the largest desert of Chile and the driest in the world still has sparse vegetation. Vegetation in these places is strictly limited by time frames and is characterized by instability, the rainy season is most favorable for plants, which, as a rule, coincides with such a phenomenon as El Niño - temperature fluctuation in the surface layer of the Pacific Ocean in its equatorial part. In Atakama, the climatic spring falls on the calendar autumn (September-November), at that time there are still scanty precipitation, and short-term, but very violent and bright flowering of bulbous plants and herbs begins, which can store moisture for a long time. An incredibly beautiful phenomenon has received the poetic name "flowering desert." Flora is represented by more than 200 plant species, many of which are endemic and are not found anywhere else in the world.
Desert hand
Chile is a very interesting country from a tourist point of view. Going on a trip to this distant country, you can safely count on a lot of pleasant impressions not only from nature, but also from culture. So, in Atakama, literally 400 meters from the highway, there is an interesting sculpture made of cement on a steel frame. It represents the left palm of a person rising three quarters of the surface of the earth. As conceived by the author Mario Irarrasabal, it serves as an expression of human injustice, loneliness, torment and grief. The height of the composition is 11 meters. This is not only a popular destination for tourists, but also an object that has appeared in many videos and commercials.
Interesting Facts
- Local residents have adapted to the harsh climate of the desert and collect water in these arid lands with special mist eliminators. They are high cylinders, on the walls of which moisture condenses into the barrel. A similar device can collect up to 18 liters of water per day.
- In November 2015, the most arid desert of Chile and the whole world turned into a magnificent flowering oasis. According to scientists, a phenomenon of this magnitude occurred for the first time in the past 50 years. This happened thanks to El Nino, famous for its destructive power, but this time gave similar beauty. Chilean authorities note that the flow of tourists in this regard increased by 40%.
- The deserts of Chile are mysterious and partly mystical places. Evidence of this is an amazing find in Atacama. In 2003, a human mummy was found in a small abandoned city of La Noria. She was called the Atacama Humanoid.The discovered mummy (in the photo above) has some features that are the subject of heated debate among scientists and ufologists. It is small (15 cm in length), does not have 12 pairs of ribs (a number characteristic of humans), but only 9 and a very elongated skull. About a year, the mummy was studied at Stanford University in the United States. According to DNA, the mummy is a rare mutation with abnormalities in the development of the skeleton. There are several versions of its origin, but all scientists agree on one thing - this is not an alien and not a hoax.