The Atacama Desert

The Atacama desert takes a large portion of Chile and spreads to the border of their northern neighbors. On the west, it is covered by the Cordillera de la Costa, and on the east is the Cordillera Domeyko. The Atacama desert is one of the driest places on earth because of dry subsidence created by the South Pacific high-pressure cell. The Atacama desert is the second driest desert overall, surpassed by an area in Antarctica.