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

As all those options cost money, what unscrupulous traders actually do is either illegally burn the clothes, or illegally dump them out in the surrounding Atacama Desert.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

An international team led by the University of Cologne studied tiny soil worms known as nematodes in Chile's Atacama Desert.

From Science Daily • Mar. 2, 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

The Atacama Desert, just south of Peru on the Chilean shore, is the driest place on earth—in some places rain has literally never been recorded.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann