Easter Island, known as ‘Rapa Nui’ in the native Polynesian language or ‘Isla de Pascua’ in Spanish, is an island in the South Pacific Ocean belonging to Chile. Located 3,600 km west of continental Chile and 2,075 km east of Pitcairn Island, it is one of the most isolated inhabited islands in the world. Some interesting facts about this mysterious place are:
- The Island gets its name from its discovery by Jacob Roggeveen on Easter Sunday, 1722.
- Only one airline flies to the island: LanChile, out of Santiago.
- Flights only come and go every few days, so an overnight stay or day excursion to the island is impossible.
- The original inhabitants, their language, and the island itself are referred to as Rapa Nui.
- The Rapa Nui people probably arrived from Polynesia around 400 AD.
- There are about 800 moai (statues) on the island.
- The written language of the Rapa Nui is yet to be deciphered.
- Although the arrival of white explorers and missionaries had a detrimental impact on the island, Easter Island was deforested and nearly destroyed before their arrival due to overpopulation of the tiny island.
- In 1995, the film Rapa Nui was released. Directed by Kevin Reynolds (of ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’ fame), the movie was a flop. It is nice to look at, though, as it was filmed on the location.
The island’s only festival is the Tapati Rapa Nui in February, which celebrates traditional Rapa Nui culture.
LEARNING BUG 