In the north of Chile, the Atacama desert stretches along the Pacific coast of South America, over a distance of about 1200 kilometers. The Atacama lies in the rain shadow of the Andes; east winds are dry and bring no precipitation. Near the coast, a cold ocean current, the Humboldt Current, prevents the development of rain clouds, so that, unlike further north or south, no rain falls. However, the cold sea water means that the Atacama is cool and often foggy, especially near the coast. There is a lot of mining going on in the Atacama Desert. (Source: Wikipedia)