Easter Island
By: Blair DeCrispino
Easter Island
One of the most isolated islands
in the world. The only known,
civilization that ever lived on the
island has had a population
decrease and has made huge
head structures called moais.
The mystery of this island has
brought a lot of attention upon it.
How did the Rapa Nui people
build the moais? And why did
they…?
Interesting Location Facts!!
• In the Pacific Ocean, 2200 miles west of *Chile.
• It is a little treeless island made of volcanic rock.
• It is 63 square miles with 3 extinct volcanoes on
the island.
• Easter Island is one humungous volcano that is
over ten thousand feet from the Pacific Ocean’s
rock bottom floor.
*Chile actually owns Easter Island.
Easter Island’s History Names
• The First known names of Easter Island were Te
Pito o Te Henua (The Center of the World) and
Mata-Ki-Te-Rani (Eyes Looking at Heaven).
• Tahitian sailors gave Easter Island the name
Rapa Nui in the 1860’s. Rapa Nui means Great
Rapa because it looked like an island in
Polynesia named Rapa Iti (Little Rapa).
• Easter Island did not get it’s current name until
April 5, 1722 (Easter Sunday) when a Dutch
captain, Jacob Roggeveen was the first
European to come and visit the island.
Moais!! 
• Before the Rapa Nui
people had a
population decrease
they constructed the
moais. Moais are
giant structures made
from volcanic rock.
No one knows why
they carved these
monuments.
Easter Island Mysteries
• Why did the Civilization build the Moais?
Some people believe that they built the
Moais for religious practices. In ancient
Polynesian religions, carved stone and
wood properly prepared and used could
bring mana, is what they believed.
Easter Island’s Civilizations
• The original civilization of Easter Island are
Polynesian. They most likely came from the
Marquesas which are the Society islands, and
they probably came to the island around 318
AD.
• The most people that ever lived there was
10,000 and then it went to a sharp decrease
when there became a civil war and starts of
cannibalism.
• After that western civilization caused diseases
and slavery which brought the population down
to 110 people.
Easter Island Today
• The people of Rapa Nui are the nicest people
you could ever meet, they’re not cannibals
anymore and they are really friendly.
• They meet visitors at the airport and help them
out with rides and getting to a hotel.
• Easter Island is a big outdoor museum with the
residents running the program.
• All this tourism that is making the economy is
because the mystery of their ancestors
constructing the random huge headed statues
a.k.a moais.
Tapati in Easter Island
• During the end of January
and the start of February
the residents embrace
Tapati, a holiday honoring
the heritage of the
Polynesian culture on the
island. Tours are
organized to the festival
so visitors can experience
the heritage of the
Polynesian islanders as
well.
Chile owning Easter Island
• Easter Island isn’t considered a colony to Chile,
but part of the mainland. Since it got Annexed in
September 1888. The Rapa Nui people are
citizens of Chile, but they don’t have to sign up
for the military or pay taxes. The governor of the
island is a naval officer from Chile, and a mayor
and council of elders have a right to voice their
opinions on local matters, but nothing bigger like
promoting revenues. The Rapa Nui people have
been randomly campaigning to become
independent from Chile, and they still have an
independence movement going on.
Easter Island’s plants and animals
• There are only a few types of animals and
plants due to the humidity. The island
doesn’t have any mammals. They only
have two species of lizards and just a few
types of bugs. They don’t have that many
fish in their water. The trees were all cut
down earlier when they built the moais and
crops are being grown in the back yard of
the huts.
Sources
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http://blogs.reeths-puffer.org/gearhartg/files/2009/12/easterisland1.jpg
http://www.sodahead.com/living/if-you-could-put-your-home-anywhere-inthe-world-where-would-you-put-it/question858023/?link=ibaf&imgurl=http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Component
s/Photo_StoryLevel/080626/080626-easter-island-hmed9a.hmedium.jpg&q=easter%2Bisland%2Bimages
http://www.mysteriousplaces.com/Easter_Island/
http://www.faqs.org/photo-dict/photofiles/list/4360/5802Easter_island.jpg
http://www.destination360.com/maps/chile-map.gif
http://www.sacredsites.com/americas/chile/easter_island_facts.html
http://www.netaxs.com/~trance/rapanui.html
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0816578.html
http://bydianedaniel.wordpress.com/category/south-america/
http://polynesian-indigenouspeople.suite101.com/article.cfm/easter_island_under_chilean_governance
http://www.henry.k12.ga.us/pges/instruction/kid-pages/islands/easter/flora.html