This region in northern Chile owes its name to the Atacama Desert, the driest in the world.  It covers an approximate area of 105,000 km², being delimited by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Andes Mountains to the east. It is also the heart of Chile’s mining industry, highlighting its massive copper and lithium deposits. Its pristine skies make it the world’s capital of astronomy. Its flora and fauna are conditioned by aridity, which is why cacti and Andean rodents and camelids abound. As for the human presence, it is at least 12 thousand years old and in pre-Hispanic times, it was part of the Inca Empire.