Easter Island, Spanish Isla de Pascua, also called Rapa Nui, Chilean dependency in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is the easternmost outpost of the Polynesian island world. It is famous for its giant stone statues.
What country currently owns Easter Island?
| Easter Island Rapa Nui Isla de Pascua | Country Chile | Region Valparaíso | Province Isla de Pascua | Commune Isla de Pascua |
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Is Easter Island part of New Zealand?
Even though Easter Island is a territory of Chile and Spanish is an official language (English is widely spoken), the history and the native inhabitants of the island are inextricably linked to Tahiti and New Zealand through Polynesian ancestry, language roots and culture.
What continent do the Easter Islands belong to?
Because Rapa Nui, the westernmost territory of Chile, is located in Polynesia, it would be best to answer that geographically Easter Island is part of the continent of Oceania although politically it belongs to South America.
How did Easter Island become part of Chile?
Easter Island was annexed by Chile on 9 September 1888 by Policarpo Toro , by means of the “Treaty of Annexation of the island” (Tratado de Anexión de la isla), that the government of Chile signed with the Rapa Nui people.
What happened to the birds on Easter Island?
Soon land birds went extinct and migratory bird numbers were severely reduced , thus spelling an end for Easter Island’s forests. Already under intense pressure by the human population for firewood and building material, the forests lost their animal pollinators and seed dispersers with the disappearance of the birds.
Where are the Easter Island heads located?
The Easter Island heads are known as Moai by the Rapa Nui people who carved the figures in the tropical South Pacific directly west of Chile . The Moai monoliths, carved from stone found on the island, are between 1,100 and 1,500 CE.
Is Easter Island part of Polynesia?
Easter Island, Spanish Isla de Pascua, also called Rapa Nui, Chilean dependency in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is the easternmost outpost of the Polynesian island world . It is famous for its giant stone statues.
Is Polynesia a country?
| Country 2021 Population | Tokelau 1,373 |
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Does anyone live on Easter Island?
Think about it like this: About 5,000 people (many of them native Rapa Nui) live on the island year-round. In 2007, about 40,000 tourists a year visited Easter Island. Now that number is upwards of 1,000. ... For travelers, visiting the island, know that—like most islands in the world—things are not cheap.
What language is spoken on Easter Island?
| Rapa Nui | Language family Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Polynesian Eastern Polynesian Rapa Nui | Writing system Latin script, possibly formerly rongorongo | Official status | Official language in Easter Island (Chile) |
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Is Easter Island a wonder of the world?
Moai Statues — Easter Island
The Moai statues on Easter Island are man-made statues that were carved and placed there by the Rapa Nui people sometime between 1100 and 1700. ... The statues on Easter Island are a wonder because of how they were created . Ninety-five percent of each statue was made from volcanic ash.
Are there still natives on Easter Island?
The Rapa Nui are the indigenous Polynesian people of Easter Island. The easternmost Polynesian culture, the descendants of the original people of Easter Island make up about 60% of the current Easter Island population and have a significant portion of their population residing in mainland Chile.
Was there cannibalism on Easter Island?
With no trees to anchor the soil, fertile land eroded away resulting in poor crop yields, while a lack of wood meant islanders couldn’t build canoes to access fish or move statues. This led to internecine warfare and, ultimately, cannibalism.
Where did the original inhabitants of Easter Island come from?
Linguists estimate Easter Island’s first inhabitants arrived around AD 400, and most agree that they came from East Polynesia . The archaeological record suggests a somewhat later date of settlement, between AD 700 and 800. As early as BC 5500 people in Melanesia were voyaging in boats and trading in obsidian.
Can you move to Easter Island?
Easter Island is a beautiful island. However, it is not the easiest place to make a living. Everything revolves around tourism. People make a living by working in shops, restaurants, selling their crafts, or as guides to tourists.
Did Easter Island have trees?
Easter Island was covered with palm trees for over 30,000 years, but is treeless today . There is good evidence that the trees largely disappeared between 1200 and 1650.
Where are the Easter Island statues located on the island?
| The Moaïs | Visitors 80 000/year | Location: Easter island (Chile) | GPS: 27° 6’45.80′′ South / 109°20’58.87′′ West | Menu |
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What caused the collapse of Easter Island?
Around 1200 A.D., their growing numbers and an obsession with building moai led to increased pressure on the environment. By the end of the 17th century, the Rapanui had deforested the island , triggering war, famine and cultural collapse.
What are the Easter Island statues called?
The islanders call them “moai ,” and they have puzzled ethnographers, archaeologists, and visitors to the island since the first European explorers arrived here in 1722. In their isolation, why did the early Easter Islanders undertake this colossal statue-building effort?
Both Hawaii and New Zealand share certain characteristics such as: being island territories surrounded by the sea; Polynesian heritage (Hawaiians and Maori are related), being English-speaking and having multicultural populations.
Is Fiji a Polynesian country?
Fiji is now classified as both Polynesian and Melanesian .
Is Australia part of Polynesia?
Oceania has traditionally been divided into four parts: Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
Can you buy a house on Easter Island?
Decades ago, the property was acquired by the government, and then traded between private owners. By law, only Rapanui can own land on Easter Island . But the law is not strictly enforced.
How expensive is Easter Island?
| Expense Cost (daily) | Accommodation $85,000 CLP ($130 USD)-$92,000 CLP ($140 USD) | Food $30,000 CLP ($46 USD) | Transportation $50,000 CLP ($76 USD) | Total $165,000 CLP ($250 USD) |
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Can you stay on Easter Island?
The best places to stay on Easter island provide a perfect base for enjoying and exploring this most unusual of locations and many are situated in and around Hanga Roa from where there is easy access to all its best bits. ... Easter island is not as inaccessible as you may think, with regular flights from Chile and Tahiti.
Is Easter Island sacred?
With increased visitation came increased development of hotels and attractions, along with damage to sacred sites by uneducated visitors who view the island as a tourist destination and playground.
Does Easter Island have a hospital?
Easter Island has a hospital that offers basic care to residents and tourists . The hospital of Hanga Roa is considered a low complexity center, so it does not have all medical specialties.
Is there a McDonalds on Easter Island?
There are no fast food franchised like McDonalds , Taco Bell or KFC on Easter Island, but they do they Club Sandwich which sell huge hotdog and hamburgers with toppings that the locals like.
Are there still rats on Easter Island?
Anthropologist Terry Hunt and colleagues say that introduced Polynesian rats may have caused the deforestation of the island’s 16 million palm trees which were key to sustaining Easter’s human population. ... Virtually no animals besides rats inhabited the island and the natives lacked sea-worthy boats.
Do the Easter Island heads have bodies underground?
The World-Famous Easter Island Heads Have Bodies Buried Underground . ... Crafted by the Rapa Nui people between 1250 and 1500, these monumental sculptures have been shrouded in mystery for centuries.
When was the Easter Island discovered?
The first known European visitor to Easter Island was the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who arrived in 1722 . The Dutch named the island Paaseiland (Easter Island) to commemorate the day they arrived.
Which are the 7 Wonders of the World?
- Great Wall of China. Great Wall of China. ...
- Chichén Itzá El Castillo, a Toltec-style pyramid, Chichén Itzá, Yucatán state, Mexico. ...
- Petra. the Khaznah. ...
- Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu, Peru. ...
- Christ the Redeemer. Christ the Redeemer statue. ...
- Colosseum. Colosseum. ...
- Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal.
What are the original 7 natural wonders of the world?
These 7 natural wonders of the world include the Northern Lights, the Grand Canyon, Paricutin, Mount Everest, Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Victoria Falls, and the Great Barrier Reef . Many of these naturally-formed displays require an aerial view to capture the vastness of each phenomenon.
