Statues of Easter Island

Guide Note:

Located on Easter Island (also called Rapa Nui), a remote, largely treeless 63 square mile island in the South Pacific, the statues of Easter Island were carved from rock and resemble humans with abnormally large heads. Their exact purpose remains a mystery.

Fast Facts:

1. Located over 2,200 miles west of Chile
2. Also called Moai
3. Built between 1100 and 1650
4. Location: Rapa Nui (Easter Island), governed by Chile
5. Origin of natives in dispute
6. Number of statues discovered so far: 887
7. Speculative prehistory of island related in film Rapa Nui

The island received its name from the first European visitor to the island, Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who landed there on Easter Sunday as part of an expedition in 1722. Experts disagree as to when the statues were constructed, with estimates ranging anywhere from the 6th century to the 17th century CE. Almost all of the statues were carved out of easily chiseled volcanic tuff using basalt tools. Whenever they were carved, many experts believe that the transportation of the large stone heads from the volcanic quarries where they were carved required so much lumber that the natives actually deforested their island, causing an ecological collapse which resulted in warfare and a population crash. Today, Easter Island is administered by Chile and remains a popular, if remote, travel destination.