The Cordillera Vicuña Mackenna is the highest section of the

Chilean Coast Range The Chilean Coastal Range ( es, Cordillera de la Costa) is a mountain range that runs from north to south along the Pacific coast of South America parallel to the Andean Mountains, extending from Morro de Arica in the north to Taitao Peninsula, ...

located in northern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, west of

Pampa del Tamarugal Pampa del Tamarugal ("Plateau of the Tamarugal") is a vast plain encompassing a significant portion of the Norte Grande, Chile, and originally named for the '' Prosopis tamarugo'' trees that used to cover its surface. It is located between the par ...

. Its peak reaches over 3000 meters. International Geographical Union, Unesco, Peru. Ministerio de Agricultura. It runs north-south for approximately 170 km parallel to the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

. The driest parts of

Atacama Desert The Atacama Desert ( es, Desierto de Atacama) is a desert plateau in South America covering a 1,600 km (990 mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes Mountains. The Atacama Desert is the driest nonpolar desert in th ...

are located east of the range due to the rain shadow produced by it. The range is named after historian Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna.

References

Chilean Coast Range Landforms of Antofagasta Region Vicuna Mackenna {{Antofagasta-geo-stub

See also

References