OtterKnow Kids EncyclopediaThe Atacama Desert is in the country of Chile, in South America. It runs along the coast next to the Pacific Ocean. It is the driest desert in the world. Some parts of the Atacama have not had rain in over 400 years!
Even though it is super dry, some animals and plants find ways to live there. Flamingos wade in salty lakes, and tiny flowers called desert blooms appear when it finally rains. The desert sits high up in the mountains, which makes the air very thin and dry.
- The ground in the Atacama looks a lot like the surface of Mars.
- NASA even tests its Mars robots there because the soil is so similar!
- During the day it can get very hot, but at night the temperature can drop below freezing.
- The Atacama is also one of the best places on Earth to look at stars because the sky is so clear.
