MAPS OF CHILE

MAP OF SALAR DE ATACAMA, THE WORLD'S DRIEST DESERT

It is the largest in Chile, with an area of over 3,000 km2. The air here is extremely dry, which gives perfect transparency, so that, at first glance, it is easy to see the other end of the salt, about 70 km. This same clarity, however, makes it difficult to judge distances.

Under the salt a lake is hidden by a thick crust of salt and rough "blackened" with desert dust, which contains the largest reserves of lithium in the world, a mineral used in some high-tech industries that are operated in the sector South Salt Lake. This crust, in some places, it was open to make room for small lakes that are favorite habitat of waterfowl, especially flamingos, coots and guallatas.

The most important is the gap Chaxa, which forms part of Los Flamencos National Reserve, located 56 km. south of San Pedro de Atacama and partially covered with surface salt. In its banks grows a plant adapted to saline environment and the desert climate, with species such as pitch, kelp, Ephedra breana and salt grass. The fauna includes Chilean flamingos and Andean flamingos, the latter nest here. There are also puna plovers, sandpipers Baird, Andean gulls, college, small and a species of swallow.

The surrounding area of the salt lake offers a great variety of attractions. On the north and west side is the Cordillera de la Sal, a chain of hills in the shape of dinosaurs tortured by the route which runs from Calama to San Pedro de Atacama, entry point to Chile.

Formerly, it was the bottom of a lake. The horizontal layers of sediment and rock, dating from the Tertiary (about 23 million years), were pushed and folded by the same movements of the crust up the Cordillera de los Andes, leaving some layers in vertical position. The wind and rain did the rest of the modeling work.

EThe name of the Cordillera de la Sal which comes from the fact that the rocks have a large amount of calcium sulfate, which gives them the appearance of being sprinkled with salt.