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A desert in Chile has not seen rain for centuries, yet life thrives. Explore the strange, otherworldly place that continues to amaze scientists and travellers.
Chile’s Atacama Desert looks lifeless, but appearances deceive. This rainless land has survived 400 years without drying out completely. (Image-Canva)
There is a place in the world where it has not rained for centuries, yet life continues without people dying of thirst. It may sound unbelievable, but it is true. Chile’s Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth, having received almost no rainfall for nearly 400 years.
Despite this extreme dryness, the region has remained a subject of global fascination for scientists, tourists, and space researchers alike.
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The Atacama Desert, located in northern Chile, stretches between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountain range. Records show that in some areas, particularly near the city of Calama, there was virtually no significant rainfall from 1570 to 1971. This extraordinary phenomenon has made the desert one of the most studied regions in the world.
The main reason behind Atacama’s dryness is the “rain shadow effect.” The Andes mountains block rain-bearing clouds from the east, while the cold Humboldt Current from the Pacific Ocean dries out moisture from the west. As a result, average rainfall in the region ranges from just 1 to 14 millimetres a year, and in some places, it is as low as 0.03 inches.
What makes the Atacama even more surprising is that life still exists here. Flamingos, llamas, and vicuñas roam the land, while salt flats hide natural water springs where thousands of flamingos gather.
The landscape is so surreal that parts of it are known as the “Valley of the Moon,” thanks to its red sand dunes, cracked terrain, and active volcanoes that resemble the surface of another planet.
This Martian-like environment is precisely why NASA considers the Atacama Desert one of its favourite testing grounds. The soil composition, extreme dryness, and harsh conditions closely resemble those of Mars, making it ideal for testing space equipment and studying the possibility of life beyond Earth.
NASA’s astrobiologists frequently conduct experiments here, and the region is also home to some of the world’s most powerful telescopes, including ALMA. The sky is so clear that the Milky Way is often visible to the naked eye at night.
Beyond science, the Atacama is a major tourist attraction. San Pedro de Atacama serves as the gateway to iconic sites such as the El Tatio geysers, Salar de Atacama, and the Puritama hot springs.
On rare occasions, when rainfall does occur, the desert transforms into a sea of colourful flowers, a phenomenon known as the “Desert Bloom.” However, it is the persistent dryness that truly defines and distinguishes this remarkable place.
January 13, 2026, 13:38 IST
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