A stunning seaside city is one of the driest places on earth, seeing less than a centimetre of rain annually. Arica, a port city in northern Chile, is part of the Atacama Desert, the driest non-polar desert in the world.
According to Geographical.co.uk, Arica gets only around 0.76 mm of rainfall per year, though its plant life is supported by “Camanchaca”, a fog that forms on the Chilean coast before moving inland. This allows the area’s unique plant species, such as tillandsia, to survive as they can absorb water directly from the air. The phenomenon also reportedly supports some bird species and insects which have adapted to the climate.
According to the United Nations, the city has a population of almost 260,000, despite being one of the planet’s driest inhabited places, where growing produce is notoriously difficult.
Highlights of the city include the San Marcos Cathedral, which dates back to 1875, and the Archaeological Museum of San Miguel de Azapa, which is home to some of the oldest mummies in the world, as per chile.travel.
Foodies are also encouraged to try Azapa olive bread, a beloved local staple.
The Atacama desert, which fringes the city on its southern edge, spans some 600 miles along the Pacific Coast of South America, and is one of the most extreme landscapes on the planet.
Some parts of the desert have received zero rainfall throughout recorded history.
When small amounts of rain do occur, a wide variety of flowers blossom over the barren landscape, with dormant seeds producing a striking bloom that has seen the area dubbed as the Desierto Florido, or “flowering desert”.
This mostly happens during September and November, the most likely months for small amounts of rain.
The dormant desert seeds are able to remain viable for many years, springing into life when the right conditions to germinate and grow finally arrive.
Chile is regarded as one of the safest countries to visit in South America, though the Foreign Office says there are things would-be travellers should be aware of when visiting the country.
The UK Foreign Office warns those visiting Chile of various potential threats, including the possibility of violent protests in Santiago and other Chilean cities and violent theft in Santiago and Valparaiso.