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Why Easter Island
is special
Easter Island is noted for its stone human statues
(called "moai") carved from volcanic
rock.
Easter Island
tips & insights
 The
moai number nearly 1000 and dot the
hillsides above the rocky shores.
The biggest
standing moai is 10 meters (33 feet) tall. An
unfinished moai in the quarry is over twice that
length and would have weighed about 135,000
kilograms (150 tons).
The moai's purpose is a mystery. The most popular
theories say they depict gods or ancestors.
Few places are as remote as Easter Island. It is
about 3000 kilometers (2000 miles) away from the
two nearest population hubs: Tahiti (to the west)
and Chile (east). Geographically, it's in the South Pacific.
Experts are now fairly certain that Rapa Nui (as
the locals call Easter Island) was inhabited by
seafaring Polynesians around 400 AD. The Easter
Island culture slowly evolved and peaked around 1400 AD.
At the time of its cultural peak, tiny Easter
Island became over populated. To meet short term
needs, the people committed conservational suicide
by denuding the landscape of trees that future
generations would need for fuel, boats and
buildings. The topsoil soon eroded, the economy
collapsed, civil war ensued and moai sculpting
abruptly halted.
Other Polynesia
medal winners
Use
the clickable "Polynesia Triangle" map below to learn about the other Hillman
Wonder medal winners in Polynesia.
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