Deserts of South America
Patagonia
Patagonia is an area covering most of the southern portions of Argentina and Chile. It consists of more than 250,000 square miles of mostly treeless tableland, interspersed with majestic mountain peaks, glaciers and ice fields, and stunning national parks. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Andes Mountains to the west, and the Strait of Magellan to the south. Tierra del Fuego, the small region south of the strait, is also considered part of Patagonia. The South Pacific westerly air current, as well as the Andes Mountain range, present a unique weather pattern to the region. The northern part of the area experiences semiarid, sunny conditions and dry, cold winds. The southern part of the area has a drier climate, colder temperatures, and can experience frost year round. Patagonia has been home to the original inhabitants, the native Tehuelche people, as well as to Spanish explorers, English pirates, Jesuits, and most recently, immigrants from Chile and other South American countries. It is currently popular with tourists, scientists, and surveyors.
The Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert spans an area of six hundred to seven hundred miles in northern Chile, extending north to the boundary with Peru. Its geography is very diverse: low coastal mountains (which drop straight into the ocean) connect with flat salt pans that connect to sloping alluvial fans that connect to the foothills of the Andes. Due to a weather pattern created by the South Pacific high-pressure cell, the Atacama is one of the driest regions in the world. The coastal current keeps the air cold at sea level and produces a lot of fog. This, in turn, keeps temperatures inland relatively low compared with those in similar latitudes elsewhere. The desert was the object of conflict for many years while Bolivia, Chile, and Peru fought over land rights to sodium nitrate deposits. Now, copper mining is the region’s chief source of revenue. Another well-known feature of the region is the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, an international astronomy facility used to study and advance scientific knowledge of the universe.