The Driest Place on Earth

The Atacama Desert is so unimaginably arid that some of its weather stations have never recorded a single drop of rain. It is often described as the closest place on Earth to the surface of Mars.

This vast plateau in Chile is locked between two mountain chains that trap moisture, creating a permanent rain shadow. Because the landscape remains bone-dry for decades or even centuries, scientists use it to test space rovers and study extreme survival. Some areas have soil so devoid of life that it resembles the harsh, barren terrain of the Red Planet. It remains one of the most challenging and otherworldly environments for researchers to explore.