26-623: Toconao is a village 38 km (24 mi) south of San Pedro de Atacama in the San Pedro de Atacama province of Chile 's northern Antofagasta Region . It lies at an elevation of 2,485 m (8,153 ft) above sea level, close to the northeast margin of the Salar de Atacama . The most notable building in Toconao is its church. The bell tower is separated from the main church structure and dates from 1750. This Antofagasta Region location article
52-471: A desert climate according to the Köppen climate classification : a hot desert climate ( BWh ), and a cold desert climate ( BWk ). To delineate "hot desert climates" from "cold desert climates", a mean annual temperature of 18 °C (64.4 °F) is used as an isotherm so that a location with a BW type climate with the appropriate temperature above this isotherm is classified as "hot arid subtype" ( BW h ), and
78-766: A few instances), dry summers, though summers are not typically as hot as hot desert climates. Unlike hot desert climates, cold desert climates tend to feature cold, dry winters. Snow tends to be rare in regions with this climate. The Gobi Desert in northern China and Mongolia is one example of a cold desert. Though hot in the summer, it shares the freezing winters of the rest of Inner Asia . Summers in South America's Atacama Desert are mild, with only slight temperature variations between seasons. Cold desert climates are typically found at higher altitudes than hot desert climates and are usually drier than hot desert climates. Cold desert climates are typically located in temperate zones in
104-447: A location with the appropriate temperature below the isotherm is classified as "cold arid subtype" ( BW k ). Most desert/arid climates receive between 25 and 200 mm (1 and 8 in) of rainfall annually, although some of the most consistently hot areas of Central Australia , the Sahel and Guajira Peninsula can be, due to extreme potential evapotranspiration , classed as arid with
130-410: A total of just 16 mm (0.63 in) of rainfall was measured. To determine whether a location has an arid climate, the precipitation threshold is determined. The precipitation threshold (in millimetres) involves first multiplying the average annual temperature in °C by 20, then adding 280 if 70% or more of the total precipitation is in the high-sun summer half of the year (April through September in
156-603: A week to Salta across the Andes in Argentina . Nearby airports are San Pedro de Atacama Airport and Salar de Atacama Airport for private aircraft, and the larger El Loa Airport /Calama 100 km away for scheduled aircraft. San Pedro de Atacama is a popular tourist destination. There are various activities for adventurers in the San Pedro de Atacama area: trekking, climbing, archaeological sightings, amateur astronomy , exploration tours in natural landscapes and even sand boarding in
182-466: Is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation . The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert climates are dry and hold little moisture, quickly evaporating the already little rainfall they receive. Covering 14.2% of Earth's land area, hot deserts are the second-most common type of climate on Earth after the Polar climate . There are two variations of
208-562: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . San Pedro de Atacama San Pedro de Atacama is a Chilean town and commune in El Loa Province , Antofagasta Region . It is located east of Antofagasta , some 106 km (60 mi) southeast of Calama and the Chuquicamata copper mine, overlooking the Licancabur volcano. It features a significant archeological museum,
234-403: Is extremely dry and mild, with daytime temperatures between 25–30 degrees Celsius (77–86 degrees Fahrenheit) in the summer (December to February) and 18–25 °C (64–77 °F) in the winter (June to August). Nighttime temperatures routinely drop below 0 °C (32 °F) and can reach as low as −10 °C (14 °F) in the winter. The record high temperature of 38.3 °C (100.9 °F)
260-536: Is seen in sections of Africa and Arabia . During colder periods of the year, night-time temperatures can drop to freezing or below due to the exceptional radiation loss under the clear skies. However, temperatures rarely drop far below freezing under the hot subtype. Hot desert climates can be found in the deserts of North Africa such as the wide Sahara Desert , the Libyan Desert or the Nubian Desert ; deserts of
286-894: The Horn of Africa such as the Danakil Desert or the Grand Bara Desert ; deserts of Southern Africa such as the Namib Desert or the Kalahari Desert ; deserts of West Asia such as the Arabian Desert , or the Syrian Desert ; deserts of South Asia such as Dasht-e Lut and Dasht-e Kavir of Iran or the Thar Desert of India and Pakistan; deserts of the United States and Mexico such as
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#1733085524660312-759: The Mojave Desert , the Sonoran Desert or the Chihuahuan Desert ; deserts of Australia such as the Simpson Desert or the Great Victoria Desert and many other regions. In Europe , the hot desert climate can only be found on southeastern coast of Spain as well as small inland parts of southeastern, especially parts of the Tabernas Desert . Hot deserts are lands of extremes: most of them are among
338-579: The Northern Hemisphere , or October through March in the Southern), or 140 if 30–70% of the total precipitation is received during the applicable period, or 0 if less than 30% of the total precipitation is so received there. If the area's annual precipitation is less than half the threshold (50%), it is classified as a BW (desert climate), while 50–100% of the threshold results in a semi-arid climate. Hot desert climates ( BWh ) are typically found under
364-585: The R. P. Gustavo Le Paige Archaeological Museum , with a large collection of relics and artifacts from the region. Native ruins nearby attract increasing numbers of tourists interested in learning about pre-Columbian cultures. San Pedro de Atacama grew, over centuries, around an oasis in the Puna de Atacama , an arid high plateau . Its first inhabitants were the Atacameños , who developed basketworks and ceramic pottery crafts that can be now be appreciated by tourists in
390-572: The Southwestern United States , northern Mexico , sections of southeastern Spain , the coast of Peru , and Chile . This makes hot deserts present in every continent except Antarctica. At the time of high sun (summer), scorching, desiccating heat prevails. Hot-month average temperatures are normally between 29 and 35 °C (84 and 95 °F), and midday readings of 43–46 °C (109–115 °F) are common. The world's absolute heat records, over 50 °C (122 °F), are generally in
416-492: The subtropical ridge in the lower middle latitudes or the subtropics , often between 20° and 33° north and south latitudes. In these locations, stable descending air and high pressure aloft clear clouds and create hot, arid conditions with intense sunshine. Hot desert climates are found across vast areas of North Africa , West Asia , northwestern parts of the Indian Subcontinent , southwestern Africa, interior Australia,
442-491: The 1992 and 2002 censuses. As a commune, San Pedro de Atacama is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council , headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Sandra Berna Martínez. Within the electoral divisions of Chile , San Pedro de Atacama is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Marcos Espinosa ( PRSD ) and Felipe Ward ( UDI ) as part of
468-635: The 30s and 40s latitudes, usually in the leeward rain shadow of high mountains, restricting precipitation from the westerly winds. An example of this is the Patagonian Desert in Argentina, bounded by the Andes ranges to its west. In the case of Central Asia, mountains restrict precipitation from the eastern monsoon . The Kyzyl Kum , Taklamakan and Katpana Desert deserts of Central Asia are other significant examples of BWk climates. The Ladakh region and
494-694: The annual rainfall as high as 430 millimetres or 17 inches. Although no part of Earth is known for certain to be rainless, in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, the average annual rainfall over 17 years was only 5 millimetres (0.20 in). Some locations in the Sahara Desert such as Kufra , Libya , record an even drier 0.86 mm (0.034 in) of rainfall annually. The official weather station in Death Valley , United States reports 60 mm (2.4 in) annually, but in 40 months between 1931 and 1934
520-949: The city of Leh in the Great Himalayas in India also have a cold desert climate. In North America, the cold desert climate occurs in the drier parts of the Great Basin Desert and the Bighorn Basin in Big Horn and Washakie County in Wyoming . The Hautes Plaines , located in the northeastern section of Morocco and in Algeria , is another prominent example of a cold desert climate. In Europe , this climate only occurs in some inland parts of southeastern Spain, such as in Lorca . Polar climate desert areas in
546-400: The desert. Because of its altitude, a brief period of acclimatization may be required. In the town are some cultural and scientific sites: The festivals includes typical dances, masses in the street and a little parade through the main street of San Pedro de Atacama. Cold desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification BWh and BWk )
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#1733085524660572-595: The hot deserts, where the heat potential can be the highest on the planet. This includes the record of 56.7 °C (134.1 °F) in Death Valley , which is currently considered the highest temperature recorded on Earth . Some deserts in the tropics consistently experience very high temperatures all year long, even during wintertime. These locations feature some of the highest annual average temperatures recorded on Earth, exceeding 30 °C (86 °F), up to nearly 35 °C (95 °F) in Dallol, Ethiopia . This last feature
598-444: The hottest, the driest, and the sunniest places on Earth because of nearly constant high pressure; the almost permanent removal of low-pressure systems, dynamic fronts, and atmospheric disturbances; sinking air motion; dry atmosphere near the surface and aloft; the exacerbated exposure to the sun where solar angles are always high makes this desert inhospitable to most species. Cold desert climates ( BWk ) usually feature hot (or warm in
624-834: The several souvenir shops as typical products of San Pedro de Atacama. It was part of Bolivia since independence from Spain until Chile claimed ownership during the War of the Pacific . During that war, the Battle of Río Grande was fought in the surroundings. On July 18, 2024 the region suffered a 7.4 magnitude earthquake. According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute , San Pedro de Atacama had 4,969 inhabitants (2,928 males and 2,041 females). Of these, 1,938 (39%) lived in urban areas and 3,031 (61%) in rural areas . The population grew by 75.6% (2,140 persons) between
650-507: The third electoral district, (together with Tocopilla , María Elena , Calama and Ollagüe ). The commune is represented in the Senate by Alejandro Guillier Álvarez ( PRSD ) and Pedro Araya Guerrero ( Ind. ) as part of the second senatorial constituency (Antofagasta Region). The town lies at an average of 8,000 feet (2,400 m), thus visitors often experience mild altitude sickness such as dizziness, lethargy and headaches. The local climate
676-574: Was registered in January 2024 in San Pedro de Atacama. Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as cold desert (BWk) for an isotherm of the mean yearly temperature of lower than 18 °C (64 °F). San Pedro lies on the main paved road from Argentina over the Paso de Jama , 160 km from the town. The road is paved throughout. There are frequent bus services to Calama , several buses daily to Santiago and buses on 6 days
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