Rapa Nui
Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, about 2,200 miles west of Chile. It is considered the easternmost outpost of the Polynesian island world and most famous for its giant Moai stone statues. It is estimated that there are about 900 Moai statues scattered throughout its coastline, which were formed from rough hardened volcanic ash. Rapa Nui was annexed by Chile in 1888 and protected within the UNESCO World Heritage site of Rapa Nui National Park in 1996.
The Moai statues are believed to have been created by inhabitants during the 13-16th centuries and transported throughout Rapa Nui. The Moai depict human figures with oversize heads, believed to be the living faces of powerful ancestors, whose supernatural powers could be harnessed for the safety & protection of Rapi Nui. On average, they stand 13 feet high and weigh 14 tons.
All of the Moai statues had been toppled by 1868. A common hypothesis is that the decline of its culture and society was caused by the over-exploitation of the island’s environment, most notably its trees and created an imbalance of resources present on the island, hindering food sources. Many Moai’s have since been restored by archeologists and protected by UNESCO.
