Consider the following pairs of major deserts and their geographic locations: 1. Atacama Desert: Coastal desert in northern Chile influenced by the cold Humboldt Current. 2. Namib Desert: Hyper-arid coastal desert located in southwestern Africa along the Atlantic coast. Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Both pairs are correctly matched. The Atacama Desert is situated on the western coast of South America, rendered extremely arid due to the rain shadow of the Andes and the cold Humboldt Current. The Namib Desert is located along the Atlantic coast of southwestern Africa, stabilized by the cold Benguela Current which suppresses coastal rainfall. Cold ocean currents adjacent to subtropical western coasts are major drivers of arid conditions globally.