{"id":121718,"date":"2023-11-26T11:29:26","date_gmt":"2023-11-26T11:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cottontailsonline.com\/?p=121718"},"modified":"2023-11-26T11:29:26","modified_gmt":"2023-11-26T11:29:26","slug":"the-creepy-ghost-towns-in-the-driest-place-on-earth-abandoned-for-centuries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cottontailsonline.com\/world-news\/the-creepy-ghost-towns-in-the-driest-place-on-earth-abandoned-for-centuries\/","title":{"rendered":"The creepy ghost towns in the driest place on Earth abandoned for centuries"},"content":{"rendered":"

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There is little life in the vast Atacama desert.<\/p>\n

In the north of Chile, the area stretches over 41,000 square miles.<\/p>\n

Its extreme climate means that little can survive there, but over the years many have tried.<\/p>\n

The deserts are rich in copper, so there were a number of mining towns there over the years – however they have since been abandoned.<\/p>\n

For those wishing to travel there, you\u2019ll see few locals, but it makes for a thrilling tourist attraction.<\/p>\n

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Throughout the towns, there are yellow tsunami ‘hazard zone’ signs, and not a person in sight.<\/p>\n

In the 1960s, the mines were abandoned, and occupied by a number of homeless people.<\/p>\n

One of the most popular of the desolate towns was once Santa Laura, which was formed in 1872, and at its height, almost 900 people called it home.<\/p>\n

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