Eastern Pacific High Sea

Off the Atacama coast, the eastern Pacific is influenced by the cold Humboldt Current, which flows north along western South America. Nutrient-rich waters sustain fish and seabirds even where the adjoining desert receives little rain. Coastal headlands such as the Mejillones Peninsula project into the current, shaping local winds and waters. For ships sailing this coast, the ocean forms a long passage between the shores of Peru and Chile.