Atacama Desert

American  

[at-uh-kam-uh, ah-tuh-kah-muh dez-ert, ah-tah-kah-mah] / ˌæt əˈkæm ə, ˌɑ təˈkɑ mə ˈdɛz ərt, ˌɑ tɑˈkɑ mɑ /

noun

1. an arid region in N Chile: rich nitrate deposits. About 600 miles (960 km) long; about 70,000 sq. mi. (181,300 sq. km).

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Atacama Desert British  

/ ataˈkama /

noun

1. a desert region along the W coast of South America, mainly in N Chile: a major source of nitrates. Area: about 80 000 sq km (31 000 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

This approach is heavily dependent on dry climates, flat terrain, and vast stretches of land, making it practical only in select places such as Chile's Atacama Desert and parts of Nevada.

From Science Daily • May 23, 2026

"We don't want the Atacama Desert to be famous as a tourist attraction where visitors can see mountains of clothes," he says.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

He hiked copper royalties and set a high bar for mine expansion in the ore-rich but water-starved Atacama Desert.

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

The scene takes place in the Atacama Desert in Chile, one of the planet’s oldest and driest deserts.

From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2024

By the statue hangs a faded banner: Bolivia Mar. When Bolivia declared its independence it had a territorial pseudopod that extended southwest from its Andean heartland through the Atacama Desert to the sea.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann