Pampa del Tamarugal is a vast plain encompassing a significant portion of the Norte Grande

Norte Grande, Chile

The Norte Grande is one of the five natural regions into which CORFO divided continental Chile in 1950. It borders Peru to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Altiplano, Bolivia and Argentina to the east, and the Copiapó River to the south, beyond which lies the Norte Chico natural...

, Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, and originally named for the Prosopis tamarugo

Prosopis tamarugo

Prosopis tamarugo, commonly known as the Tamarugo, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. It is only found in northern Chile, particularly in the Pampa del Tamarugal, some east of the city of Iquique. This bushy tree apparently grows without the benefit of rainfall, and...

 trees that used to cover its surface. It is located between the parallels 19°30’ and 22°15’ south latitude and is considered part of the Atacama Desert

Atacama Desert

The Atacama Desert is a plateau in South America, covering a strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. It is, according to NASA, National Geographic and many other publications, the driest desert in the world...

. It is bounded on the west by the Chilean Coastal Range and on the east by the western slopes of the Andes

Andes

The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...

. The plain occupies a surface area of 12,500 km² with an average elevation of 1100 m.

Tourism

Among the major tourist attractions in the Pampa del Tamarugal are the world heritage site Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works

Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works

Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works are two former saltpeter refineries located in northern Chile. They were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.-Geography:...

, the town of La Tirana

La Tirana

La Tirana is a Chilean town in the commune of Pozo Almonte in El Tamarugal Province, Tarapacá Region. The town lies in an oasis in the middle of the Pampa del Tamarugal, about 72 km inland from the port of Iquique....

, and the Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve

Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve

Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve is a nature reserve of northern Chile's Tarapacá Region located in the Pampa del Tamarugal, about east of Iquique.The reserve consists of three separate sectors: Zapiga, Bosque Nativo de La Tirana, and Pintados...

.