The Dutch who discovered the island in 1722 named it Easter Island because they discovered it on Easter Day. It is part of Chile and in Spanish it is Isla de Pascua which means Easter Island. The highlight is the statues of Easter Island, the moai (mow-eye) of Rapa Nui. First inhabited by Polynesians 1,500 years ago, the population peaked at 15,000 people. In the 1860s, most of the Rapa Nui Islanders died of disease or were enslaved. There were approximately 100 survivors. The survivors were converted to Christianity. Today the population is about 6,000.
Rap Nui is triangular, formed by 3 main volcanos and numerous small volcanos. The triangle has a 15 mile base and 8 mile height with an area of 60 square miles. Most of the land is national park, preserving the statues and other relics. Easter Island is known as the most isolated island in the world. The closest neighbor is Pitcairn Island which has 56 residents. Anything with over a 1,000 people is over 2,000 miles away.
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For the Easter Island 2014 Photo Album, click Here
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