EASTER ISLAND


Meaning of EASTER ISLAND in English

n.

Spanish Isla de Pascua native Rapa Nui

Island (pop., 2000 est.: 3,618), eastern Pacific Ocean.

Located 2,200 mi (3,600 km) west of Chile, it has an area of 63 sq mi (163 sq km). Initially inhabited 0441; AD 400 by Polynesians from the Marquesas , Easter Island has long been famous for its monolithic stone statues in human form. They are 10–40 ft (3–12 m) high, and some weigh more than 50 tons. They were probably erected 0441; 1000–1600 AD. War and disease decimated the island's population over the succeeding centuries, and the statues' origins were forgotten. Annexed by Chile in 1888, the island has been declared a World Heritage site .

Sculptures cut from volcanic rock, Easter Island.

Ernest Manewal

Shostal

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.