Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) Island is an archipelago in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, about 1,500 kilometres east of Chile and 2,500 kilometres south of Peru. The island has a land area of 146 square kilometres and had a population of just over 1,500 people as of 2010.
Easter Island is famous for its imposing moai statues, which are among the largest monolithic statues in the world. The island’s history and culture are closely related to those of Polynesia in general and Hawaii in particular.
Contents
Easter Island History
The island was first settled about 1200 AD by Polynesian settlers. Their descendants, the Rapa Nui, still inhabit the island today.
European contact began in 1722, when a Spanish expedition led by Juan Francisco de Anza sighted Easter Island and recorded its existence on a map. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman visited in 1642 and named it “Island of the Finest Gold”.
British explorer James Cook Sighted Easter Island in 1774 but did not land because of illness. In 1814, French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville became the first European to land while the island was still Dutch-controlled, although he did not claim it until 1817. In 1765, a Spanish expedition led by Captain Esteban Martinez de Velasco named the island “Island of Hearts Delight” (in English) or “La Isla Bonita”.
In 1830, an English merchant fleet under Commodore John Tippet visited in July and August with about 37 men aboard two ships: HMS Blonde and Huon . They were looking for civet cats to extinction on nearby Amsterdam Island but decided to stay the winter rather than transporting the civets back to Europe.
Captain Tippet, who had a speculative interest in the unknown island, left a small group of men on Easter Island for four months as caretakers for his vessels and weapons. Their discovery was made public by Chilean merchant Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa , sailing captain of “La Serena” (a ship from Lima ), with an account that was printed two years later after he returned to Chile .
Climate
Easter Island has a temperate climate, with average temperatures ranging from 22 °C in January to 29 °C in July. The island experiences heavy rainfall during the winter months, which leads to flooding and mudslides that can affect parts of the island throughout the year.
Due to the island’s isolated location and its limited hydrological resources, a significant dependency on imported products exists. True air-conditioning is rare except in hotels, which there are few because of reliance by local people on firewood and woodstoves as heat sources.
The island has a considerably narrower range of temperatures between winter and summer than other areas at similar latitudes around the world (elevation). Easter Island rarely sees freezing temperature but can get some frost days with subzero temperatures during cold spells that will result in all water bodies freezing over or small snowfall lines forming.
Culture
Until the mid-20th century, Easter Island was largely characterized by a Stone Age culture of island dwellers who had little or no contact with other cultures. Decades of contact with the outside world, most notably from Europeans and Chileans, has led to changes in traditional customs and ways of life. The island’s population is mainly descended from Polynesian settlers who arrived more than 1,000 years ago.
European influences have been more visible in recent decades because many islanders have worked on large Chilean plantations or as servants in overseas households; today there are also significant numbers of Chilean migrants living on the island. The island, whose original population has declined to a few hundred people, is now known as Rapa Nui in the local language and Pascua Hiva in Spanish.
From 1350 until 1970, Easter Island was governed under a system of chieftainships called Hotu Matu’a who exerted much control over each other’s activities; with numerous chiefs keeping tabs on social mores and outlawing different forms of speech or behaviour deemed dangerous for all society members.
Politics
The island has no elected government, and its political system is based on traditional familial lines of descent. A council called the Chiefs Council, consisting of descendants of ancient Hotu Matu’a leaders, manages day-to-day affairs. The island’s top bureaucrat is the Governor, who reports to the Chiefs Council.
Education
Easter Island has a closed education system in which children are sent to boarding schools at an early age. There is also limited access to secondary school and university tuition for islanders; most students travel off Easter Island or study abroad .
Healthcare and ERT
In the early 1960s, islanders working in mainland Chile built a small hospital and an emergency department capable of treating minor emergencies.
There is no healthcare on-island; citizens must be evacuated to Santiago for medical treatment.. Most patients receive second opinions or routine care from ships visiting Easter Island.
Government services
Mail, telephone, and Internet service are not available on Easter Island. There is a limited supply of clean water, food, and fuel.
Tourism
Easter island’s primary source of income comes from tourism; visitors can explore the island’s historic sites, swim in its turquoise waters, or visit one of its many hotels.
Conclusion
If there’s one island that has always fascinated people, it’s Isla de Pascua. This South Pacific island is known for its extreme geographical features and for the mysterious stories that are associated with it. Some of the most compelling of which include the so-called ‘Lost City of Pascua’, and the legend of the Rapa Nui people.
If you’re interested in learning more about this enigmatic place, this blog has everything you need to know about Isla de Pascua in detail! From its geological history to its current status, we cover everything you need to know about this fascinating destination.
FAQs
1.What Is The Island’s Official Name?
Ans: Isla de Pascua, or Easter Island for short.
2.How Big Is The Island?
Ans: The island itself has a land area of 146 square kilometres, but this excludes any surrounding waters and islands.
3.When Did The First People Arrive On Isla De Pascua?
Ans: This is a difficult question to answer as there are many theories about how human beings first arrived on the island – some say that they came from Polynesia, while others say that they arrived via an ice-free corridor across what is now the South Pacific Ocean, which opened up at a later date. Some people also believe that they came from New Zealand or even Chile, but no one knows for sure just how long ago the island was first settled by its inhabitants.
4.What Are The Main Geographical Features Of Isla De Pascua?
Ans: The island is, for the most part, composed of an exposed volcanic ash rock plateau that rises to a maximum elevation of 1,545 metres. The island also has a number of high peaks and deep valleys, which helps to account for its extreme weather conditions – including heavy rainfall and sub-zero temperatures.
5.What Kind Of Landscape Can You Find On The Island?
Ans: There are many different types of land feature on Isla de Pascua – from forests to barren mountaintops. However, one of the island’s most prominent geographical features is its broad, volcanic plateau, which forms a large impact craters in many areas. Some of these crater formations are over two kilometres deep!
Leave a Reply