Some of the worlds are: Planet Earth, Under The Sea, Inventions, Seasons, Circus, Transports and Culinary Arts. The continent is compact and roughly triangular in shape, being broad in the north and tapering to a point —Cape Horn, Chile—in the south. The Atacama Desert covers a total area of 40,541 sq. [60], Most people who go to tour the sites in the desert stay in the town of San Pedro de Atacama. While in the area, travelers can also visit the Huacachina oasis, just outside of Ica. Unlike traditional deserts, which have sand in abundance, the Salar de Uyuni features vast expanses of glistening white salt. [citation needed] The towns include Chacabuco, Humberstone, Santa Laura, Pedro de Valdivia, Puelma, María Elena, and Oficina Anita. It has many crosswords divided into different worlds and groups. It concentrates and retains the heat from the day to cope with low evening temperatures. Brazil is also home to the largest city in South America – Sao Paulo, with a population of 12.18 million (2018). Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. 4. The European Southern Observatory operates three major observatories in the Atacama and is currently building a fourth: The Atacama Desert is popular with all-terrain sports enthusiasts. South America Facts. Argentina’s Monte Desert. [43] In 1918 geologist Juan Brüggen mentioned the existence of 23 socavones in the Pica oasis, yet these have since then been abandoned due to economic and social changes. 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. From Palmas, the main city in the area, the state park is about four hours away. [35] Most common species are the herbs and flowers such as thyme, llareta, and saltgrass (Distichlis spicata), and where humidity is sufficient, trees such as the chañar (Geoffroea decorticans), the pimiento tree, and the leafy algarrobo (Prosopis chilensis). The long history of aridity raises the possibility that supergene mineralisation, under the appropriate conditions, can form in arid environments, instead of requiring humid conditions. Depending on the time of year, whales and dolphins might also be nearby. The Patagonian Desert in Southern Argentina. The Kalahari supports more animals and plants than a true desert. [17], In 2012, the altiplano winter brought floods to San Pedro de Atacama.[18][19]. Last updated by Melissa Dreffs in August 2020. With terrain that looks similar to the moon, it truly feels out of this world. The major basins lie east of the Andes, and the main rivers flow to the Atlantic Ocean. A guanaco roaming the Patagonian Desert. Located along the coast of Northern Chile, it offers incredible, breathtaking landscapes. Around 1900 there were irrigation system of qanats, locally known as socavones, spread through the oasis of Atacama. The Atacama border dispute over these resources between Chile and Bolivia began in the 19th century and resulted in the War of the Pacific. The Atacama is sparsely populated, with most towns located along the Pacific coast. The Sahara is the largest desert in Africa, and the largest hot desert in the world – with summer temperatures reaching 122 °F (50 °C) – and stretching across 12 North African countries. A desert is an area that receives a significantly small amount of rainfall. Its total area is 120,000 sq mi (310,000 km 2). Tags:Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru. South America is the fourth-largest continent, spanning 6.9 million square miles (17.8 million square kilometers). 5. Image: Medanos de Coro, Venezuela” by Carlos Adampol Galindo, used under CC BY-SA 2.0 / Compressed from original.   It is fifth on the world population list, with 431 million people living there. Located in Bolivia’s southwest corner, this immense, sparkling sea of salt is beautifully blinding. The continent is compact and roughly triangular in shape, being broad in the north and tapering to a point— Cape Horn , Chile—in the south. Home to the Wayuu indigenous group, the desert has two large rivers that are their main source of water. As a result, the area was mined significantly in the 1940’s. South America can be divided into three physical regions: mountains and highlands, river basins, and coastal plains. [43], The desert has rich deposits of copper and other minerals and the world's largest natural supply of sodium nitrate (Chile saltpeter), which was mined on a large scale until the early 1940s. South America is the fourth-largest continent, spanning 6.9 million square miles (17.8 million square kilometers). For other uses, see, Map of the Atacama Desert: The area most commonly defined as Atacama is yellow. The Andes is Earth’s longest mountain range on land. , or Moon Valley.   It is also home to one of the most populous cities in the world—São Paulo, Brazil, ranks No. Be prepared for a very rustic stay with limited running water and electricity. A week-long foot race called the Atacama Crossing has the competitors cross the various landscapes of the Atacama. Largest Deserts Patagonia Desert, Argentina The Patagonian Desert, also known as the Patagonia Desert or the Patagonian Steppe, is the largest desert in America and is the 7th largest desert in the world by area, occupying 260,000 square miles (673,000 km). The desert includes sizable cities such as Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez, and Saltillo on the Mexican, and Albuquerque, El Paso, and Roswell on the US side. Patagonia covers a vast area of land at the south of the continent between the Andes Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. In this cold, winter desert, the average temperature is around 37 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius). Patagonian Desert. South American fur seals and South American sea lions often gather along the coast. [43] Socavones are known from Azapa Valley and the oasis of Sibaya, Pica-Matilla and Puqui Nuñez. Miners and mining companies came into conflict, and protests spread throughout the region. Dunes of Cabo Polonio, Uruguay. Area: Covers 14,244,935km² (5,500,000 square miles) OK, so the Antarctic is not what most people think of when someone says the word ‘desert’, but it is classed as such because the region receives as little as 50mm of rain per year (more rain actually falls in the Sahara!) Patagonian Desert. South America. [58], Eighteen solar powered cars were displayed in front of the presidential palace (La Moneda) in Santiago in November 2012. The desert includes sizable cities such as Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez, and Saltillo on the Mexican, and Albuquerque, El Paso, and Roswell on the US side. The Patagonian Desert is Argentina’s largest desert and the world’s fourth most extensive desert. A desert is technically a place with an average of 10 inches (25 centimeters) or less of annual rainfall. It stretches from just above the equator down to the Antarctic. It is 979 meters high, and its water plunges for 870 meters uninterrupted. Chaunus atacamensis, the Vallenar toad or Atacama toad, lives on the lomas, where it lays eggs in permanent ponds or streams. Several rivers run through the desert to reach the Pacific Ocean. An observatory in the desert is open to the public close to most hotels in the area. The Mojave Desert is the hottest desert in North America, located primarily in southeastern California. 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. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia. The Andes Mountains stretch 4,350 miles (7,000 kilometers) from Venezuela south to Chile. Image: O pôr do Sol nas Dunas do Jalapão. Jalapão dunes backing up to the forest. The landscape is entirely flat, bar a few small ‘islands’ such as Isla Incahuasi, which only accentuates […] This is a type of mesquite tree whose pods can be ground into a rich molasses known as, . These peoples were sedentary fishermen inhabiting mostly coastal areas. and eighth largest in the world. Salvador Dalí Desert in Bolivia. San Pedro de Atacama, at about 2,400 m (8,000 ft) elevation, is like many of the small towns. It is the oldest desert in the world. Vegetation is scarce, and what does grow is often buried as the sand blows. Their barren landscapes provide spectacularly beautiful scenery, as well as many adventure activities. During the 19th century, the desert came under control of Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. It passes through Argentina Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. – and mostly in the form of snow. It is not only the largest Africa desert but also the largest desert in the world occupying 3.3 million sq. The desert sits in the Potosi department of Bolivia, the same region as the Uyuni salt flats. With the impressive Andes Mountains as its neighbor, many travelers often overlook Peru’s coastal desert. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, famous for its wildflower blossom blowouts, is also a great place to hike palm oases—and scout for desert bighorns, too. The Andes Mountains is the longest mountain range in the world. The largest deserts in the world by area. km) in south-western Bolivia. who can customize a travel package that’s right for you. This expansive white salt desert, Salinas Grandes, sits in the Jujuy and Salta provinces of Northern Argentina. It includes all deserts above 50,000 square kilometres (19,300 sq mi). Located along the coast of Northern Chile, it offers incredible, breathtaking landscapes. Most deserts are quite barren, as the dry living conditions are too hostile to host plant and animal life. Purmamarca’s view of the Hill of Seven Colors. CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (. At a lofty height of 11,985 feet (3,653 meters) above sea level, the Salar de Uyuni travelers should look out for altitude sickness. CodyCross is a famous newly released game which is developed by Fanatee. Outside of these extreme areas, sand-colored grasshoppers blend with pebbles on the desert floor, and beetles and their larvae provide a valuable food source in the lomas (hills). This desert lines the coast from Piura to Lambayeque and is home to some of the, . After calling Havana and Paris her temporary homes, she moved to Lima in 2018. These rivers were a key for the success of ancient desert cultures, like the. Salvador Dalí Desert, also known as Dalí Valley, gets its name from the surreal landscapes that look like they belong in a Dalí painting. The Patagonian Desert, also known as the Patagonia Desert or the Patagonian Steppe, is the largest desert in America and is the 7th largest desert in the world by area, occupying 260,000 square miles (673,000 km). The climate of the Atacama Desert limits the number of animals living permanently in this extreme ecosystem. South of the Negro River, the plains are much more irregular. are sure to impress. [44], The desert is littered with about 170 abandoned nitrate (or "saltpeter") mining towns, almost all of which were shut down decades after the invention of synthetic nitrate in Germany in the first decade of the 20th century (see Haber process). 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