10 Interesting Facts About Easter Island

In the 20s, at the initiative of the leadership of the West India Company, the Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen went on an expedition to the Pacific Ocean in order to find the southern mainland in the western side of Chile.

Three frigates: “Arend”, “Tinhoven” and “Afrikaans Halley” poisoned to conquer unknown lands. And already a few months after sailing, in the early Easter morning, the crew of the guiding ship saw a rocky island. Subsequently, Europeans dubbed this amazing place Easter Island.

Now it is considered one of the most isolated islands on the planet. In addition, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations. The history of Easter Island is full of unsolved mysteries, which are primarily associated with huge stone statues erected by the inhabitants of the island for many centuries.

Here are 10 of the most incredible facts about Easter Island.

10 The only economic sector on Easter Island is tourism

To this day, local residents continue to search for more and more valuable artifacts from the past of their people, which could lift the veil of secrecy covering the entire history of this amazing island, and at the same time increase the flow of tourists to the island, because this is their only source of real income.

Due to a certain geographical isolation of Easter Island, many still think that getting to it is very problematic. However, it is possible to visit the island with the help of regular commercial flights from Hanga Roa.

9. The last king of Easter Island died mysteriously during a visit to Chile

10 years after the actual annexation of Easter Island to Chile, the local paramount chief decided to visit Santiago and complain about the abuse of his powers by local Chilean authorities. However, shortly after his arrival, he died under mysterious circumstances. Since then, no new paramount chiefs have been elected on Easter Island.

8. The local airport can receive space shuttles

The construction of Mataveri Airport started in 1965. At that time, there was still a NASA tracking station. It ceased to exist 10 years later, when the airport was already functioning with might and main.

The then leadership of Chile during the construction of the airport showed enviable insight. First of all, the airport is adapted to receive a spacecraft. And, secondly, the government foresaw that the flow of tourists to the island would grow every year.

To achieve these two goals, the decision was made to build a long and wide runway. At the same time, the terminal there is not large. However, it accommodates a couple of cafes, shops that tourists visit to buy souvenirs.

7. Chickens were once the measure of wealth on Easter Island

For a long time on the island, as a result of the disappearance of the forest, chickens became the only source of meat. These poultry were held in high esteem and spacious stone chicken coops were erected for them.

Also, for a long time, the presence of a large number of chickens was considered a sign of the well-being of the family among local residents.

6. The caves on Easter Island were used for a variety of purposes.

Easter Island is replete with a huge variety of caves. They were used by local residents for a variety of purposes until the middle of the XNUMXth century. They lived there, sheltered women and children during periods of wars and raids, stored fresh water, kept chickens and even arranged burials.

Many of the caves are well known to the current inhabitants of Easter Island – they played there as children. But even now, when the island is free to visit any research team, only a small part of these caves are well studied and mapped.

5. Once upon a time, 2 peoples lived on Easter Island, only one of them made moai

The most ancient writings say that the ancestors of the modern inhabitants of the island were the so-called “short-eared”. They arrived, led by their leader, Tuu-ko-ihu, from an island far away in Polynesia.

Having landed on land, they realized that the island was already inhabited by another people, calling themselves “long-eared”, who, led by the discoverer Hotu Matua, came from the eastern part of the ocean. For almost two months they sailed from a hot country where the scorching sun burned the entire crop.

Since they were the first to inhabit the island, they immediately began to build those giant statues – moai. For two hundred years, the “short-eared” helped the “long-eared” in this work of theirs.

But at some point, peaceful neighborly coexistence ceased and the two peoples began to quarrel. As a result, the “short-eared” killed almost all the “long-eared”.

4. Easter Island was once covered in forest

Once upon a time, most of the island was occupied by dense vegetation, including vast forest areas. Gradually, the number of inhabitants of the island increased, deforestation took on a mass character.

That part of the land, where there was originally a dense forest, became a place for growing crops. In addition, wood was used as a source of fuel, raw materials for the construction of houses, as well as for the movement of giant statues. Because of this, by the beginning of the XNUMXth century, there were no forests on the island.

3. Scientists are still arguing how the first inhabitants got to Easter Island

Until now, it is not known for certain about the way the island was settled. In the XNUMXth century, many theories appeared, put forward by scientists involved in the study of the island. But, unfortunately, to this day, none of them has proven confirmation.

2. All stone moai statues (except seven) look inland

In total, there are approximately 900 stone sculptures on the island.

The largest of them reach a mass of up to 50 tons. Sledgehammers, axes, chisels made of stone were used to create them, since the inhabitants of the island did not know how to extract metal.

The largest of these giants has a height of 22 m.

But the most mysterious thing is that almost all of these stone statues are facing the island. What this is connected with is still unknown.

1. It is still unknown how and why moai statues were made.

The so-called “moai” is the main mystery of the mysterious island. These statues are like guards guarding their territory. Despite some primitive depiction of features, stone giants are fascinating.

Many mysteries are connected with these stone statues. First of all, it is not known how they managed to move to a certain place.

But the main secret is the purpose of the construction of these moai? According to one of the scientific hypotheses, the statues depicted dead leaders, according to another, they were idols deified by the inhabitants of the island, and according to the third, they were part of a cult.