Easter Island

Easter Island
Rapa Nui
Isla de Pascua
Special Territory, Province and Commune
Flag of Easter Island
Official seal of Easter Island
Coat of arms
Easter Island map showing Terevaka, Poike, Rano Kau, Motu Nui, Orongo, and Mataveri; major ahus are marked with moai
Easter Island map showing Terevaka, Poike, Rano Kau, Motu Nui, Orongo, and Mataveri; major ahus are marked with moai
Easter Island is located in Pacific Ocean
Easter Island
Easter Island
Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean
Coordinates: 27°7′S 109°22′W / 27.117°S 109.367°W / -27.117; -109.367
Country Chile
Region Valparaíso
Province Isla de Pascua
Commune Isla de Pascua
SeatHanga Roa
Government
 • TypeMunicipality
 • BodyMunicipal council
 • Provincial GovernorLaura Alarcón Rapu (IND)
 • AlcaldePedro Edmunds Paoa (PRO)
Area
 • Total163.6 km2 (63.2 sq mi)
Highest elevation
507 m (1,663 ft)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2017 census)
 • Total7,750[1]
Time zoneUTC−6 (CLT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CLST)
Country Code+56
CurrencyPeso (CLP)
LanguageSpanish, Rapa Nui
WebsiteMunicipality of Isla de Pascua
NGA UFI=-905269
Rapa Nui National Park
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Moai at Rano Raraku, Easter Island
CriteriaCultural: i, iii, v
Reference715
Inscription1995 (19th Session)
Area6,666 ha

Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. The capital city is Hanga Roa.

It is famous for its 887 huge statues called Moai, made by the early Rapa Nui people. Easter Island also has a huge crater called Rano Kau at the edge of the island. In the crater there is a natural lake, one of only three bodies of fresh water on the island.

Easter Island a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Much of the island is protected in the Rapa Nui National Park.

The introduction of diseases carried by European colonizers and slave raiding devastated the population in the 1800s. Introduced animals, first rats and then sheep, were largely responsible for the island's loss of native flora.

  1. "Censo 2017". National Statistics Institute (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Censo de Población y Vivienda 2002". National Statistics Institute. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.

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