B. The Atacama is one of the driest places on Earth and is virtually sterile because the extensive area of flat upland is blocked from moisture on both sides by mountains. Fifty times drier than California's Death Valley, some weather stations in the Atacama have never received a drop of rain.

Q: The Loa River which once flowed to Quillagua has dried to a polluted trickle because the water is used to mine the desert's mineral wealth. What is Chile's major mineral export?

A. Gold

B. Uranium

C. Copper

D. Iron

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C. Chile is responsible for over a third of the world's copper production, mostly in the Atacama Desert.

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Q: What mountain range runs through Chile?

A. Andes

B. Balkan Mountains

C. Montes Alpes

D. Himalayas

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A. The Andes runs along the eastern edge of Chile's 2,700-mile length. The Balkan Mountains are in Europe, and the Himalayas are in Asia. The Montes Alpes are on the Moon.

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Q: Who was Chile's most famous patriot in its fight for independence?

A. Almagro

B. Bolivar

C. Cortez

D. O'Higgins

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D. Bernardo O'Higgins defeated Spanish royalists in 1817. Besides Spanish ancestry, Chileans have Irish, Italian, French, German, English, Swiss, Croat and Native American ancestors.

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