Easter Island

archaeology · Polynesia · ancient mystery · giant statues

Nearly 1,000 moai. Easter Island is home to almost 1,000 enormous stone statues called moai, most carved from volcanic rock by the early Rapa Nui people who lived there long ago.

Southeasternmost Polynesia. Easter Island sits at the far southeastern tip of the Polynesian Triangle, making it one of the most remote inhabited islands in the entire Pacific Ocean.

Spanish-speaking Polynesia. Easter Island is the only place in all of Polynesia where Spanish is an official language, because it is a special territory of Chile.

UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1995, the United Nations named Easter Island a World Heritage Site to protect its incredible archaeological treasures, and much of the island is now a national park.

Ancient mystery unsolved. Historians still puzzle over how the ancient Rapa Nui people managed to carve, transport, and stand up these massive stone giants without modern tools or machinery.