Easter Island, named "navel of the world" by the early settlers, is a part of Chile located 3600 km west of continental Chile.

It is the most isolated inhabited island in the world, which is famous for its numerous Moai, giant statues carved of compressed volcanic ash, located along the coastlines.

In 2002 census the population of the island was 3,791 inhabitants, 3304 of which lived in the capital of Hanga Roa. Tourism is the main industry of this Chilean territory, and the biggest attractions here are, of course, the Moai.

Moai are believed by most archaeologists to represent the spirits of ancestors, chiefs, or other high-ranking males who held important positions in the history of Easter Island, or Rapa Nui. The researches showed that they were carved by the Polynesian colonizers of the island by about A.D. 1000-1100.

There are 887 of them now on the island. The average Moai is 13.29 feet (4.05 meters) high and weighs 13.78 tons (12.5 metric tons). The largest statue called "El Gigante" stands 71.93 feet (21.60 meters) and weighs approximately 145 tons (160 metric tons).

In addition to the statues, the islanders possessed the Rongorongo script, the only written language in Oceania.

Easter Island Research