Atacama Desert, Desert plateau in northern Chile
The Atacama Desert extends for 1,600 kilometers along the Pacific coast, forming a narrow strip of land between the Andes Mountains and the ocean.
During the Pacific War of 1879-1883, Chile gained control of this territory from Bolivia and Peru due to its valuable sodium nitrate deposits.
Indigenous Atacama communities developed agricultural techniques in river oases, growing crops like lemons in Pica and potatoes near the Loa River.
The desert contains substantial deposits of copper, gold, silver, iron, boron, lithium, and sodium nitrate, supporting regional mining operations.
Scientists use this region for Mars mission simulations because its soil composition and extreme dryness match conditions on the red planet.
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