On what continent is the most arid, non-polar desert in the world?

The Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar desert in the world. It is located in northern Chile, in South America, in the region of Antofagasta and in the north of the Atacama Region.

The Atacama Desert is 49,000 square miles and has an average rainfall of .6 inches per year. It is nestled between the Andes and the Chilean Coast Ranges that prevents fronts and rain clouds from either the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans causing a natural phenomenon known as a "rain shadow".

Geological evidence indicates that the Atacama Desert received no significant rainfall from 1570 to 1971. The main supply of water has been from snowfalls and melting of the ice. On March 25, 2015, a heavy, unusual rainfall caused mudslides that affected several surrounding cities, causing the deaths of more than 100 people.

Curiously, being the driest desert in the world, it is sometimes covered with a variety of wildflowers and turns from being the most arid desert to the "Flowering Desert" or "desierto florido" in Spanish. Over 500 species of plants and flowers are indigenous to the region, having adapted to the extreme environment.