Which desert is most often identified as the driest non-polar desert on Earth?

The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is widely considered the driest non-polar desert on Earth. Certain weather stations and localities have recorded extremely long stretches with little or no rainfall, and some areas receive only a few millimetres of precipitation in a year. The desert’s dryness is caused by the cold Humboldt Current, rain shadow effects from the Andes, and persistent atmospheric stability. Despite the aridity, some coastal fog and specialized life forms allow ecosystems to persist.