<Tr> <Th> Biome </Th> <Td> Desert </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Map of the Atacama Desert: The area most commonly defined as Atacama is yellow . In orange are the outlying arid areas of southern Peru, Altiplano, Puna de Atacama, and Norte Chico . </Td> </Tr> <P> The Atacama Desert (Spanish: Desierto de Atacama) is a plateau in South America, covering a 1000 - km (600 - mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains . It is the driest nonpolar desert in the world . According to estimates, the Atacama Desert occupies 105,000 km (41,000 sq mi), or 128,000 km (49,000 sq mi) if the barren lower slopes of the Andes are included . Most of the desert is composed of stony terrain, salt lakes (salares), sand, and felsic lava that flows towards the Andes . </P> <P> Geographically, the aridity of the Atacama is explained by it being situated between two mountain chains (the Andes and the Chilean Coast Range) of sufficient height to prevent moisture advection from either the Pacific or the Atlantic Oceans, a two - sided rain shadow . </P>

Where are the atacama desert located on a map
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