Easter Island

Easter Island, or Rapa Nui as it is also called, is the most remote inhabited place on the Earth. The island is situated in the Pacific Ocean and was discovered by Dutch sailor Jakub van Roggeveen who reached the shores of Rapa Nui on Easter Sunday of 1722, and due to this date gave the island the name of Easter Island.

Although the island has been known for almost 300 years its history remains a mystery. We know something about its native inhabitants, their culture and religion, and we can speculate about the reasons for their escape and the downfall of their civilization, but much of the information is contradictory.

The first thing standing out when you come closer to the island are huge Moai–stone sculptures depicting, most probably, gods of the native tribes. When in the 18th century natives were asked about the origin of the Moai, they claimed that the Moai just walked to the island. However, after thorough examination it was found that the statues were built by the natives from volcanic stones, and that it took about one year to sculpt and transport such a figure to its site. However, it is still unexplained why the faces of the gods are turned towards the ocean and whether they had any other purpose than purely religion.

Native tribes at first seemed to be very friendly people. Sailors who anchored near Easter Island were always warmly welcomed by the islanders, who often light fires in honour of newcomers. However, within the space of only four years, the situation on the island changed dramatically. The ground became infertile, and feeling neglected by the gods, Moai were devastated and thrown from their pedestals. Natives became depraved, armed and belligerent–resulting in fights between the tribes breaking out. The reasons for such changes were, most probably, fights for hegemony, but the land which was becoming impoverished. Over the course of time famine, cannibalism and fights lead to the decline of this civilization.

Nowadays the island is a tourist attraction known for its mysterious Moai, visited every year by millions of tourists wanting to get away from the noise of other tourist cities and overcrowded beaches, and spend some time in a place shrouded in mystery.

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