Coordinates: 27°7′S 109°22′W
Easter Island
Rapa Nui
Isla de Pascua
Flag
Easter Island map showing Terevaka, Poike, Rano Kau, Motu Nui, Orongo, and Mataveri; major ahus are marked with moai
Capital Hanga Roa
27°9′S 109°25.5′W
Official language(s) Spanish, Rapa Nui [1]
Ethnic groups (2002) Rapanui 60%, European or mestizo 39%, Amerindian 1%
Demonym Rapa Nui or Pascuense
Government Special territ
ory of Chile[2]
- Provincial Governor Carmen Cardinali
- Mayor Luz Zasso Paoa
Annexation to Chile
- Treaty signed September 9, 1888
Area
- Total 163.6 km2
63.1 sq mi
Population
- 2010 estimate 4,888[3]
- 2002 census 3,791
- Density 29.88/km2
77.46/sq mi
Currency Peso (CLP)
Time zone UTC−06 (UTC−6)
- Summer (DST) UTC/GMT -6 hours (UTC)
Internet TLD .cl
Calling code +56 32
Easter Island (Rapa Nui: Rapa Nui, Spanish: Isla de Pascua) is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai ( /ˈmoʊ.aɪ/), created by the early Rapanui people. It is a World Heritage Site (as determined by UNESCO) with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park. In recent times the island has served as a warning of the cultural and environmental dangers of overexploitation. Ethnographers and archaeologists also blame diseases carried by European colonizers and slave raiding[4] of the 1860s for devastating the local peoples.
