Easter Island Facts: Old and NewHere are a few key facts you should know about Easter Island:
Location and Geography:
Easter Island is owned by Chile and is located approximately 2,300 miles (3,700 km) west off the coast of Chile.
It is a small island, only around 63 square miles (163 square km), being volcanic with three primary extinct volcanoes.
The Moai Statues:
The most famous aspect of the island is the moai statues. They are massive stone figures, often with oversized features of the head, designed to represent ancestors.
There are almost 900 of these idols on the island, and they were cut between 1400 and 1650 CE.
The statues are said to have stood on stone platforms, called ahu, which also served as tombs for the individuals represented.
Rapa Nui People:
The first settlers of Easter Island were the Rapa Nui (the current name of the native islanders), arriving from Polynesia around 1200 CE.
They developed their own unique culture over time and built not only the moai, but a complex social organization, as well.
According to their estimates, the island’s ecosystem had changed drastically by the time European explorers arrived in the 18th century by then the island had been heavily deforested, and its resources severely depleted both by the Rapa Nui people who inhabited the island and on their way there.
European Contact:
It was named Easter Island after it was first located by Europeans on Easter Sunday in 1722, by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen.
European colonizers followed, bringing with them disease and enslavement that devastated numbers of the population.
Modern-Day Easter Island:
Easter Island's rich history and archaeological sites make it a tourist destination, but today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
And, the island's people retain their culture, still today, the Rapa Nui people have a strong sense of identity.
The Mystery of the Moai:
How the statues were moved and raised into place is still debated, with possible theories from the idiom of using logs and ropes to more contemporaneous suggestions that the moai were "walked" into position.
The majority of the moai statues are carved from volcanic tuff, which is a softer type of rock found on the island itself, although some moai are made from basalt and other materials.
Due to its mysterious past, the towering statues, and singular cultural heritage Easter Island is still of great interest to both historians, archaeologists and tourists.