Editing Geography of Chile (section)

===Far North===
{{main|Norte Grande, Chile}}
The far north (Norte Grande), which extends from the Peruvian border to about 27° south latitude, a line roughly parallel to the [[Copiapó River]], is extremely [[arid]]. It mainly contains the [[Atacama Desert]], one of the driest areas in the world. In certain areas, this desert does not register any rainfall at all. Geographically, the aridity can be explained by the following conditions:

* The desert is located on the leeward side of the [[Chilean Coast Range]], so little moisture from the Pacific Ocean can reach the desert.
* The [[Andes]] are so high that they block convective clouds, which may prevent precipitation formed above the Amazon Basin from entering the desert to the east.
* An inversion layer is created by the cold [[Humboldt current]] and the [[South Pacific High]].

Average monthly temperatures range at sea level between about {{convert|20.5|C|F}} during the summer and about {{convert|14|C|F|1}} during the winter. Most of the population lives in the coastal area, where the temperatures are more moderate and the humidity higher. Contrary to the image of monochrome barrenness that most people associate with deserts, the landscape is spectacular, with its crisscrossing hills and mountains of all shapes and sizes, each with a unique hue depending on its mineral composition, its distance from the observer, and the time of day.

In the far north, the land generally rises vertically from the ocean, sometimes to elevations well over {{convert|1000|m|0|abbr=on}}. The [[Cordillera Domeyko]] in the north runs along the coast parallel to the Andes. This topography generates coastal microclimates because the fog that frequently forms over the cold ocean waters, as well as any low clouds, is trapped by the high bluffs. This airborne moisture condenses in the spines and leaves of the vegetation, droplets that fall to the ground and irrigate the plants' roots. Beyond the coastal bluffs, there is an area of rolling hills that encompasses the driest desert land; this area ends to the east with the Andes towering over it. The edges of the desert in some sections have subterranean aquifers that have permitted the development of forests made up mainly of [[tamarugo]]s, spiny trees native to the area that grow to a height of about twenty-five meters. Most of those forests were cut down to fuel the fires of the many foundries established since colonial times to exploit the abundant deposits of copper, silver, and nitrate found in the area. The result was the creation of even drier surface conditions.

The far north is the only part of the country in which there is a large section of the Andean plateau. During summer the area receives considerable rainfall in what is commonly known as the "Bolivian winter,"<ref>In the Spanish-speaking tropics, ''invierno'' or "winter" means "rainy season" (''The University of Chicago Spanish-English/English-Spanish Dictionary,'' Fourth Edition (1992),
by Carlos Castillo, Otto F. Bond, and D. Lincoln Canfield. Simon and Schuster, {{ISBN|0-671-74348-1}}.)</ref> forming shallow lakes of mostly saline waters ([[Salar de Llamara]], [[Salar des Miraje]], [[Salar de Atacama]])<ref name="andesmap">{{cite web|title=Travel map of the Andes|publisher=Nelles Map|url=http://andes.zoom-maps.com/|access-date=2011-01-08|archive-date=2010-09-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924154519/http://andes.zoom-maps.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref> that are home to a number of bird species, including the [[Chilean flamingo]]. Some of the water from the plateau trickles down the Andes in the form of narrow rivers, many of which form oases before being lost to evaporation or absorption into the desert sands, salt beds, and aquifers. However, some rivers do manage to reach the Pacific, including the [[Loa River]], whose U-shaped course across the desert makes it Chile's longest river. The water rights for one of the rivers, the [[Lauca River]], remain a source of dispute between Bolivia and Chile. These narrow rivers have carved fertile valleys in which exuberant vegetation creates a stark contrast to the bone-dry hills. In such areas, roads usually are built halfway up the arid elevations in order to maximize the intensive agricultural use of the irrigated land. They offer spectacular panoramic vistas, along with the harrowing experience of driving along the edges of cliffs.

In the far north, the kinds of fruits that grow well in the arid tropics thrive, and all kinds of vegetables can be grown year-round. However, the region's main economic foundation is its great mineral wealth. For instance, [[Chuquicamata]], the world's largest open-pit copper mine, is located in the far north. Since the early 1970s, the fishing industry has also developed lots in the main ports of the area, most notably [[Iquique, Chile|Iquique]] and Antofagasta.