| 释义 |
Atacama Desert
At·a·ca·ma Desert A0491700 (ăt′ə-kăm′ə, ä′tä-kä′mä) An arid region of northwest Chile. One of the driest areas in the world, it has yielded great nitrate and copper wealth.Atacama Desert (Spanish ataˈkama) n (Placename) a desert region along the W coast of South America, mainly in N Chile: a major source of nitrates. Area: about 80 000 sq km (31 000 sq miles)A′ta•ca′ma Des′ert (ˈæt əˈkæm ə, ˌæt-, ˈɑ təˈkɑ mə, ˌɑ tə-)
n. an arid region in N Chile: nitrate deposits. ab. 70,000 sq. mi. (181,300 sq. km). Thesaurus| Noun | 1. |  Atacama Desert - a desert in northern Chile rich in nitrate and copper depositsChile, Republic of Chile - a republic in southern South America on the western slopes of the Andes on the south Pacific coast |
Atacama Desert
Atacama Desert (ätäkä`mä), arid region, c.600 mi (970 km) long, N Chile, extending south from the border of Peru. The desert itself, c.2,000 ft (610 m) above sea level, is a series of dry salt basins flanked on the W by the Pacific coastal range, averaging c.2,500 ft (760 m) high, and on the E by the Andes. There is practically no vegetation; rain has virtually never been recorded in some localities, and some river beds appear to have been dry for tens of thousands of years. Of the streams descending from the Andes only the Loa River reaches the Pacific. Antofagasta and other regional ports are without protected anchorages and are subject to frequent and severe earthquakes. The Atacama has been a source of great nitrate and copper wealth. The first European to cross the forbidding waste was Diego de AlmagroAlmagro, Diego de
, c.1475–1538, Spanish conquistador, a leader in the conquest of Peru. A partner of Francisco Pizarro, he took part in the first (1524) and second (1526–28) expeditions and in the bloody subjugation of the Incas after 1532.
..... Click the link for more information. , the Spanish conquistador, in 1537. From then until the middle of the 19th cent. it was largely ignored, but with the discovery of the use of sodium nitratesodium nitrate,
chemical compound, NaNO3, a colorless, odorless crystalline compound that closely resembles potassium nitrate (saltpeter or niter) in appearance and chemical properties. It is soluble in water, alcohol, and liquid ammonia.
..... Click the link for more information. as a fertilizer and later with the invention of smokeless powder using nitroglycerin, the desert had a mining boom. Although the southern half of Atacama belonged to Bolivia, the companies exploiting the deposits were Chilean. Differences arose, and in the ensuing war (see Pacific, War of thePacific, War of the,
1879–84, war between Chile and the allied nations, Peru and Bolivia; also called the Chile–Peruvian War. The trouble began when President Hilarión Daza of Bolivia rescinded (Feb.
..... Click the link for more information. ), Chile won the entire area. When synthetic nitrates were developed after World War I, the boom collapsed. Economically, the Atacama is declining, as reserves are depleted and the desert expands southward into once arable land. In more recent years solar and wind energy projects have been developed in the region, and lithium deposits have been exploited. Atacama Desert a desert region along the W coast of South America, mainly in N Chile: a major source of nitrates. Area: about 80 000 sq. km (31 000 sq. miles) Atacama Desert
Words related to Atacama Desertnoun a desert in northern Chile rich in nitrate and copper depositsRelated Words |