Easter Island, known as Rapa Nui, is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world, located over 2,000 miles from the nearest continental landmass (Chile).

The island is famous for its nearly 900 moai statues, which were carved by the Rapa Nui people between 1400 and 1650 CE. The largest moai, called "Paro," is about 33 feet tall and weighs approximately 82 tons. Originally, the statues had inset eyes made of coral and stone, and were carved from volcanic tuff found in the Rano Raraku quarry, where hundreds of unfinished statues still lie.

The island was first recorded by Europeans on Easter Sunday in 1722 by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, hence the name Easter Island.

In the 19th century, the islanders were converted to Christianity, which led to the abandonment of many traditional practices.

Genetic studies have shown that the Rapa Nui people have Polynesian ancestry with some later European and Native American admixture.

свернуть