Easter Island geographical location. Open left menu Easter Island

Easter Island is the most remote inhabited island in the world. Nearest mainland sushi – Chile – at a distance of 3,700 kilometers. Administratively, the island is part of the Chilean region of Valparaiso - in 1888 Chile annexed this territory.

On famous island about 5,000 people live, a little more than half of them - indigenous people. Area – 164 sq. km. The island has the shape of a regular triangle.

There are no hazardous industries here. The water around the island is clean and clear. But at the same time, the flora and fauna are not distinguished by the great diversity that is inherent in many island formations in the water area Pacific Ocean. And those who love only beach “bounty holidays” are better off not flying here. This is a place for romantics and the curious.

Who discovered Easter Island?

The island was once covered with lush forests. The first settlers appeared here around 300 AD. They were presumably from the islands of French Polynesia.

And the first European who saw the mysterious and now world-famous idols was the Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen. It was he who, on Easter Sunday 1772, discovered a distant land in the ocean. It is to him that the island owes its modern name. The local name is Rapa Nui. Soon James Cook also visited the islands.

Easter Island was rediscovered by the world and our contemporaries in the middle of the last century by the famous Norwegian traveler Thor Heyerdahl.

How to get to Easter Island

The flight from Santiago takes 5 hours. Flights are operated by the Chilean airline “LAN Airlines”, flight “Santiago – Tahiti” with landing at Mataveri Airport on Easter Island. You can also get here from the capital of Peru, Lima. Flights are regular, unlike shipping services. There is only one pier for small ships on the island.

Tourists travel around the island itself in rented cars, bikes, taxis and on foot. The distances are small - by car you can get from one side of the island to the other in 30 minutes, and go around the whole island in one and a half to two hours.

Hanga Roa "capital" of Easter Island

In addition to the airport, in the administrative center of the island there are several 3 and 4 star hotels, shops, restaurants, a post office, schools and a church. Almost the entire population of the island lives here and is employed in the tourism industry. There are only two streets in the town, without house numbers - all the residents know each other. Prices on the island “bite”, which is not surprising - after all, almost everything has to be imported.

Attractions of Easter Island - Moai

The main attraction of this amazing corner of the earth is the stone statues scattered throughout the island - Moai, as they are called here. There are about a thousand idols on the island. The height of some reaches 20 meters. All but seven, whose gaze is turned to the ocean, are arranged so that they look into the island.

The statues were made from compressed volcanic ash in quarries inside the island. There are many guesses and versions about how the statues were transported around the island. Everyone who visited the idol “factory” itself is left with the feeling that work stopped just yesterday, and not many centuries ago.

• Ahu Rano Raraku (300 moai), ahu Tongariki (15 moai) and the ritual site, ahu Ature and ahu Naunau are the most interesting places for tourists to visit.

• Anakena Bay and Beach is the most beautiful and largest of the few island beaches.

The Tapati Rapa Nui (Tapati) festival is held on the island every year at the end of January. It is accompanied by chants, dances and traditional competitions of the local residents - the Rapanui people.

Since those above are already trying to understand why this Moai decided to drown, I answer. Employees of both dive centers in the area said that they tried to take away a particular specimen by ship. But something went wrong and the ship capsized.
This version is quite true because:
- it is really made of stone and is very similar to those that remained on land
- lies at a depth of 28 meters. For the fun of divers, ships and other things are sunk in the area of ​​15–18 so that they can dive without AOWD
- a lot of idols were taken out. It is quite possible that once again a ton of stone was poorly secured. There are no legends like “The spirit of the stone did not allow us to leave the island.” Just bad luck once again. Dozens of other Moai were removed and are in museums around the world. The most skillfully made one with an ass (almost the only one with this part of the body) is exhibited in the London Museum (I don’t remember which one)

Moai underwater is unusual. But the most surreal and jaw-dropping view is the volcano mountain where these Moai were chiseled out of stone. Seeing multi-ton stone faces scattered at different angles is cool.

The island is nothing at all. The photos above show typical vegetation. The only thing missing is trees; they are still present on this piece of land in some low-lying places. There are no minerals. The sea doesn't shine either.
Why did people decide to settle there about thirteen centuries ago? In fact, the question is different, why did the people who settled there cast off and run into open ocean? There were no global cataclysms in this area to allow us to talk about an isthmus to the mainland or the presence of other islands a thousand years ago. Just for some unknown reason, one authoritative person said “Let’s rush there” and pointed at ninety degrees to the shore of his homeland. And others said “Come on!” Scientists still don’t know what made the authority lift so many people from their homes and swim to nowhere. But it’s perfectly clear why these people decided to settle on the island of “damn nothing.” It’s very simple - when you’ve traveled a couple of thousand kilometers in boats across the Pacific Ocean (at that time there were no steam engines even in Europe), you’ll be happy with anything.

So, a second wave of immigrants came, who seemed to arrive without women. It is unclear what they were hoping for. But they were lucky - women were in the first wave. And the first migrants shared them in a friendly manner. Everyone lived happily and called themselves Rapa Nui.
But there are few resources, so few that even the handful of people who grazed on this island were not enough. In addition, those who arrived last were slightly underdeveloped. And a paradox occurred: those who came in large numbers became bosses, and those who remained turned into almost powerless guest workers.

I don’t know how guest workers won honor and respect. But the cool ones decided everything like adults. Google suggests that better times About ten thousand people lived on the island. I don’t know how many clans there were, but they definitely existed. And the more developed settlers did not come up with anything better as proof of toughness than riveting idols from stone. The Rano Raraku volcano was adapted for raw materials. If you want honor and respect for your clan, hollow out a stone muzzle weighing several tons and cockroach it into your territory. Whoever has more stone faces is cooler. Each idol symbolizes a connection with the ancestors and endows the clan with mana. When wars happened, enemies tried to plunder as many of the enemy's Moai as possible, thereby demoralizing him.
The second unanswered question is how the Moai were dragged from the volcano. Although the island is small, transporting such cargo requires very compelling reasons and some kind of technology. There was more than enough of the first, but there were problems with the second. I'm not sure that the Rapanui even used horses. Most likely it was dragged by hand. This is where the less developed migrant workers came in handy. Some believe that stone muzzles weighing several tons were rolled on logs, others believe that they rolled from side to side. But somehow they were pushed even to the opposite coast. Although, as the photographs show, there are a lot of them, and even more likely, most of them remained on the hill.
The largest Moai, which was finally dragged to its destination, is five meters high and weighs 75 tons. The largest, which was not completed yet, is about twenty meters high and 270 tons.

The tough ones, by the way, were called long-eared, and migrant workers were called short-eared.
And the latter did not like this state of affairs. They carry Maui, and honor and respect to those who forced them to carry them. The revolution has happened. And although the long-eared ones were developing, the short-eared ones clearly knew life. Whatever one may say, it was necessary to develop not carrying some kind of crap across the entire island, but at least upgrade the stone axes. In general, all or almost all of the long-eared people were dealt with.
This concluded production of Maui. They continued to worship those that had already been installed in holy places, but they stopped bringing new ones. Official version seems to be saying that short-eared people have not matured enough in intelligence to achieve such a crowning achievement of human genius as hollowing out a several-ton muzzle and ramming it five kilometers away. Personally, I think that they just turned on their brains to the fullest and came to the conclusion that in this world, even in their little world, there are much more interesting, and most importantly, much more useful activities.

The short-eared people stopped hammering rocks to boost their self-esteem. The old idols, of course, have not gone away, but either a tsunami will roll in or a volcano will hit you a little. Stone by stone, but gradually the Moai were destroyed, taking mana with them. And besides, all clans cannot remain at the same level of coolness. If we don’t make new Moai, then where will we get additional honor?

And at some point, the veneration of the Moai begins to intertwine with the veneration of the bird-man, something like a demigod or something like that. Old beliefs and gods are not abolished, but gradually move towards rituals and the acquisition of power without material evidence like a block of ten tons. Now the bird-man has become the main one on the island. He is the god's vicegerent and is worshiped as a god. To become one, you must complete the task first on the designated day and hour. For this purpose, next to the damn nothing of Easter Island there is a fucking nothing in the form of the island of Motu Nui. Apart from stones, there are only nests of sea gulls on it. So, to become a god, you need to go down the very steep rocky slope of the volcano, swim a kilometer to Motu Nui, climb its steep slope, find a sea gull egg and return along the already trodden path with it to present it to the chief priest. Of course, it cannot be broken. Where they put it in order to save it during the return journey, history is silent. Or maybe there was no need to drag it, maybe they took the gentlemen at their word.

Now another confirmation of my theory that the short-eared ones were not so stupid. At least some of them. So, some pretzel managed it. But it is not he who becomes the main one, but the one he represents. Not every shit becomes the main thing, right? Now the one who was represented by the hero-egg finder, well done, he is now a god. He is shaved in all places. including eyebrows. They give a new name. They are renovating the cave dwelling after the previous god. In this cave, the hero's representative will spend the next year, making laws and resolving conflicts. He cannot cook his own food - the priest does it for him. He cannot cut hair or nails, this is also the responsibility of the priest. He can’t let alone talk to anyone, no one has the right to look at him. That is, God lives as a hermit. His only means of communication with the people under his control is the high priest, who conveys the decrees of the bird-man. Not stupid, right? At the same time, every year the priest does not strain for the sake of his title, well, except for jumping, waving the local censer and bringing food to the “overlord” (I doubt that at least one priest himself strained for the sake of cooking). What that pretzel from the cave actually said, even the pretzel himself won’t remember in a year. Even if he remembers, at the time of his communication with other people he will no longer be a god. This means that attacking the high priest is fraught with the loss of your own eggs, and not the bird’s. And cooking is also a good space for action. If the bird-man wanders off the banks, then mix in the necessary drug and that’s it. The gods called to themselves, he was so cool, what else can I say. In the meantime, there are no eggs, I will be in charge here. Well, or fuck off to Motu Nui right now, if that’s what you want, but don’t come back without balls. Are there any birds with eggs? Your problems.
Although in fact the main power was with the military leaders, I believe.

We've all heard about Mysterious Island where they are located stone heads, but not everyone is able to answer that this is Easter Island, and finding it on the world map will be even more difficult.

Tourists appeared there not so long ago, but tours to this mysterious corner of the Earth are already being sold all over the world. It needs to be explored in order to understand where these huge statues came from, who was able to make these stone giants?

There are many theories about their origin, but until now scientists have not come to a consensus on where these blocks came from. Maybe this is the work of giants or space aliens, or maybe the statues have been standing here not so long ago? Which of these theories is the most consistent is still debated by the greatest minds of mankind. This is one of the most important mysteries on Earth.

Where is Easter Island on the world map

Appearance of the name

The name is indeed very strange. But few people know that this place is called by many peoples differently, for example, Hititeairagi, or Hiti-ai-rangi, Tekaowhangoaru, Mata-ki-te-Ragi, Te-Pito-o-te-henua. All these names come from the Rapanui language, which is widespread in Oceania.

But if you may have never heard these names, but the name Rapa Nui is more popular among people. This name was given by sailors a long time ago so as not to confuse the territory with others. Scientists believe that this name was established in the 1860s.

But no matter what the locals call their lands, we know them under the name Easter Island. This name was given when the Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen discovered a piece of land in the middle of the ocean on Easter Sunday - April 5, 1722. After some time, the territory was named in honor of this event.

History of the emergence of o. Easter

It is clear that civilization was here before the 18th century, and the age of the statues has not yet been determined. They are believed to be more than five centuries old, and the earliest may have been made in the mid-13th century.

But researchers came to the conclusion that people inhabited the land as early as 1200 BC. It is still not known how they were able to do this, because it was almost impossible to overcome such a distance at that time.

Moreover, the mysteries do not end there; experts argue about who lived here. Some claim that American Indians lived here, some suggest that they were Peruvians, and others believe that another people lived on these lands, who were part of unknown civilization, but eventually became extinct. Local residents have a legend about long-eared and short-eared tribes that lived here and fought against each other. It is they who are credited with the construction of all the idols, but it is difficult to imagine how people of that time could create such gigantic heads.

In addition to the statues, scientists discovered ancient writing; it is also unknown which people it belonged to.

If we talk about modernity, then Fr. Easter joined Chile in 1888 and has been Chilean since then, although there are independent elections for the heads of the administrative centers. For a long time the territory had infringed rights, but the situation improved in the 1950s.

Climate

The area is in a tropical climate, average temperature all year round more than 22 degrees. Sometimes the heat subsides due to cold winds blowing from Antarctica. There are no rivers, but water comes to residents from lakes and underground sources.

If we talk about temperature, the warmest month is January, and the coldest month is August. The most rain is observed in March and April, when 15 days can have precipitation. And the driest months are February and August, when it can only rain for 5-7 days.

In general, the climate in the territory allows tourists to travel here all year round. During the day it is not too hot here; cool winds sometimes cool the surface of the water and land very much. In the evenings you will even have to wrap yourself in warm clothes.

Flora and fauna

No one knows why many plants died out here in an instant. Now there are no more than 30 species of flora representatives. Only in last years began to actively return vegetation to this island. So, the following were imported: grapes, melon, sugar cane, banana. All root vegetables are very expensive on the island as they are shipped from the mainland.

The fauna is also not rich. Europeans brought domestic animals here: goats and sheep, chickens. Before this, only birds and sea animals, such as turtles, seals, and fur seals, predominated.

This is interesting: at one time, rats came to the island, they carried infections and ate valuable grains; they tried to exterminate them or make them pets, but this did not bring success.

What is Fr. famous for? Easter

The most famous feature of the Moai, of course, is the statues in the form of huge heads. There are about a thousand of these heads on the island, all of them are very tall, reaching a height of 20 meters.

It is completely incomprehensible how people could make such figures and place them around the entire perimeter. In addition to individual statues, there are entire complexes and parks where they are displayed in a row or simply grouped.

Tourists are also attracted by the following attractions:

Every corner has beautiful views. There are no exquisite architectural sights here; people come here for something completely different - to enjoy the beauty uncharted island, about which there are various legends.

Best time to visit

There are a lot of tourists here all year round, even despite the remoteness of the territory. The tourist season depends on the weather and usually lasts from January to May.

The most comfortable months for travel are January, February and March, when the temperature stays at + 26-27 degrees.

In the ocean, the water heats up to +25 in February and March. But August, September and October are not very good for traveling here. The temperature during these months does not exceed +20, with strong winds blowing.

But remember that even if it’s warm and dry during the day, it’s better to prepare a warm jacket for yourself in the evening, since the air cools down very quickly, and before you know it, you’ll freeze. Although the ocean is suitable for swimming, beach holiday

not popular here at all. In addition, there are not many beaches that are equipped for tourists; most often they are wild and rocky cliffs, where swimming is strictly prohibited, and you don’t even want to. Take into account:

You need to come to the island for at least 4-5 days to have time to see everything. There is only one city and not many hotels, so local residents can come to the rescue, often renting out a room or an entire apartment.

Even more often, people prefer to vacation in the wild, stay right by the ocean in a tent or request a place in campsites. This saves money, although the conditions are not the most comfortable.

How to get there

Having figured out where Easter Island is located on the world map, let's find out how you can get to this wonderful place, because it is so isolated from the mainland? Wikipedia says that most often tourists are delivered to the island by plane, and only one company operates flights strictly on schedule, and this is not every day. Planes fly from Santiago and Lima, you can also get there from Tahiti, but it will be more expensive. The flight from Santiago will take about five hours.

You can also get to Easter Island by water. The world map shows that the archipelago is located in, but let’s say right away that this method will be more expensive than an airplane. Firstly, you can do this on your own yacht, but if you don’t have one, then private companies provide their services. You can get there by yacht in 5-7 hours. It is better to find out the ship schedule on site or on special websites. In any case, you first need to get to South America

, but doing this is difficult and expensive, because such a flight costs from 35 thousand rubles, which is why the main tourists on the island are elderly and rich people who are able to bear such expenses. There are only two roads, so it will be difficult to get lost. But at the same time, the main beauties are located along the edges of the island, so a person may not be able to complete this route on foot. It is best to rent a bicycle, motorcycle or car to explore all corners of the mysterious territory.

Conclusion

Easter Island is a lifelong dream for some. After all, we have heard so many times about this miracle, but so few have seen it in person. All the Moai statues, volcanoes, and the ocean add an unimaginable atmosphere to this area. Questions hung in the air: “Who created this?”, “How did they end up here?”, “Is it true that they were alive before?” Some are extremely difficult to answer even for experts.

Whatever the truth, I really want to come here. After all, this picturesque island has more than just statues. He has a very interesting story, nature, colorful views. Therefore, if you are going to Chile, you simply cannot miss the opportunity to visit Easter Island.

There are not many tourists here yet; you can almost always find a quiet place where you can sit, reflect on life, and try to understand the answer to this mystery of the island. From all the figures on the island, you can choose one and try to find out the secret of these giant heads, perhaps you will succeed.

We bring to your attention an educational video with interesting facts about Easter Island:

Photo gallery

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It is the most remote inhabited island in the world. The distance to the mainland coast of Chile is 3703 km, to the island Pitcairn, the nearest populated area is 1819 km. The island was discovered by a Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen V Easter Sunday 1722.

The capital of the island and its only city is Hanga Roa. In total, 5034 people live on the island ().

Rapa Nui is famous in many ways for moai, or stone statues from compressed volcanic ash, which, according to locals, contains the supernatural power of the ancestors of the first king of Easter Island - Hotu Matu'a. IN 1888 annexed Chile. IN 1995 national park"Rapa Nui" became an object UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Island names

Easter Island has many names:

• Hititeairagi (rap. Hititeairagi), or Hiti-ai-rangi (rap. Hiti-ai-rangi);
• Tekaowhangoaru (rap. Tekaouhangoaru);
• Mata-ki-te-Ragi (rap. Mata-ki-te-Ragi - translated from Rapanui"eyes looking at the sky");
• Te-Pito-o-te-henua (rap. Te-Pito-o-te-henua - “navel of the earth”);
• Rapa Nui (rap. Rapa Nui - "Great Rapa"), a name mainly used by whalers;
• San Carlos Island (English San Carlos Island), named so by Gonzalez Don Felipe in honor of the king Spain ;
• Teapi (rap. Teapi) - that was the name of the island James Cook ;
• Vaihu (rap. Vaihu), or Waihou (rap. Vaihou), there is a variant Vaigu , - this name was also used by James Cook, and later Forster And La Perouse(a bay in the northeast of the island is named after him);
• Easter Island (English Easter Island), named so by a Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen because he opened it on the day Easter 1722.

Very often, Easter Island is called Rapa Nui (translated as “Big Rapa”), although it is not of Rapanui, but of Polynesian origin. The island received this name thanks to Tahitian sailors, who used it to distinguish between Easter Island and the island Rapa Iti(translated as "Small Rapa"), located 650 km south of Tahiti, and having topological similarities with it. The very name "Rapa Nui" has caused a lot of controversy among linguists about the correct spelling of this word. Among English-speaking specialists, the word “Rapa Nui” (2 words) is used to name the island, the word “Rapanui” (1 word) when talking about the people or local culture.

Geography

Easter Island - unique territory in the southeastern part Pacific Ocean, which is one of the most remote inhabited islands from land in the world. Located 3703 km from the coast of the nearest mainland in the east ( It is better to find out the ship schedule on site or on special websites. In any case, you first need to get to) and is removed from the nearest inhabited islands in the west (island Pitcairn) at 1819 km. Island coordinates: -27.116667 , -109.35 27°07′ S w. /  109°21′W d. 27.116667° S w. 109.35° W d. (G) (O). The area of ​​the island is 163.6 km². The nearest uninhabited land is an archipelago Sala y Gomez, apart from a few

rocks not far from the island. -The trunk of the toromiro, with a diameter of a human thigh and thinner, was often used in the construction of houses; spears were also made from it. IN XIX XX centuries).

this tree was exterminated (one of the reasons was that the young shoots were destroyed by those brought to the island

sheep Fauna Before Europeans arrived on the island fauna , Easter Island was mainly represented by marine animals: , seals turtles crabs. Before 19th century bred on the island chickens. Species of the local fauna that previously inhabited Rapa Nui have become extinct. For example, a type of rat Rattus exulans And , which was used as food by local residents in the past. Instead, rats of the species were brought to the island by European ships Rattus norvegicus

Currently, the island is home to 25 species of seabirds and 6 species of land birds.

Population

It is assumed that during the cultural flourishing on Easter Island in XVI -XVII centuries Rapa Nui's population ranged from 10 to 15 thousand people. Due to an environmental disaster that erupted as a result of the anthropogenic factor, as well as clashes between residents, the population had dropped to 2-3 thousand people by the time the first Europeans arrived. The number of 3,000 inhabitants was also indicated by James Cook when visiting the island. TO 1877 as a result of the export of local residents to Peru for hard labor, epidemics, extensive sheep farming The population decreased further and amounted to 111 people. TO 1888, year annexation islands Chile, 178 people lived on the island.

Administration

There are about two dozen police officers on the island, mainly responsible for local security. airport.

Also present armed forces Chile(mostly Navy). The current currency on the island is Chilean peso(also in circulation on the island U.S. dollars). Easter Island is a duty-free zone, so tax revenues to the island's budget are relatively small. It largely consists of government subsidies.

Infrastructure

Other infrastructure facilities (church, post office, bank, pharmacy, small shops, one supermarket, cafes and restaurants) mainly appeared in the 1960s. The island has satellite phone , Internet and even a small disco for locals. To call Easter Island, you need to dial the code Chile+56, Easter Island code +32 and from 5th of August 2006 number 2. After this, a local number consisting of 6 digits is dialed (the first three will be 100 or 551 - these are the only valid prefixes on the island).

Tourism

Anakena is the most famous beach islands

Attractions

Profile of a defeated idol against the background of the crater of the Rano Roratka volcano

How they were delivered to the coast is unknown. According to legend, they “walked” themselves. Recently, volunteer enthusiasts have found several ways to transport stone blocks. But what exactly the ancient inhabitants used (or some of their own) has not yet been determined. Norwegian traveler Thor Heyerdahl in the book “Aku-Aku” he gives a description of one of these methods, which was tested in action by local residents. According to the book, information about this method was obtained from one of the few remaining direct descendants of the Moai builders. Thus, one of the Moai, overturned from the pedestal, was put back by using logs slipped under the statue as levers, by swinging which it was possible to achieve small movements of the statue along the vertical axis. The movements were recorded by placing stones of various sizes under the top of the statue and alternating them. The actual transportation of the statues could be carried out using wooden sleds. This method local presents it as the most likely, but he himself believes that the statues still reached their places on their own.

Many unfinished idols are in the quarries. A detailed study of the island gives the impression of a sudden cessation of work on statues.

• Rano-Raraku- one of the most interesting places for tourists. At the foot of this volcano located about 300 moai, of different heights and at different stages of readiness. Not far from the bay there is an ahu Tongariki, the largest ritual site with 15 statues of various sizes installed on it.
• On the shore bays Anakena one of the the most beautiful beaches islands with crystal white coral sand. Swimming is allowed in the bay. Picnics are organized for tourists in palm groves. Also not far from Anakena Bay there are ahu Ature-Huki and ahoo Naunau. According to ancient Rapa Nui legend, it was in this bay that Hotu Matu'a, the first king of Rapa Nui, landed with the first settlers of the island.
• Te Pito Te Whenua (rap. navel of the Earth) - a ceremonial site on an island made of round stones. Quite a controversial place on Rapa Nui. Anthropologist Christian Walter claims that Te Pito te whenua was installed in the 1960s to attract gullible tourists to the island.
• On the volcano Rano Kao available Observation deck. There is a ceremonial site nearby Orongo.
• Puna Paw- a small volcano near Rano Kao. In the distant past, red stone was mined here, from which “headdresses” were made for the local moai.

Story

Settlement and early history of the island

Before the advent of Europeans, two different peoples lived on the island - the “long-eared”, who dominated and had a unique culture, writing, and built moai, and “short-eared”, who occupied a subordinate position. During the short-eared uprising, which supposedly took place in XVI century, all long-eared animals were exterminated, and their culture was lost. Subsequently, it turned out to be extremely difficult to restore information about the previous culture of Easter Island; only fragmentary information remained.

Activities of the ancient Rapanui people

Easter Island is currently a treeless island with infertile volcanic soil. However, by the time of settlement by the Polynesians in the 9th-10th centuries, according to data palynological research cores from the soil, the island was covered with dense forest cover.

In the past, as now, the slopes volcanoes used for gardening and growing bananas.

According to Rapa Nui legends, hau plants ( Triumfeta semitriloba), marikuru ( Sapindus saponaria), makoi ( Thespesia populnea) And sandalwood were brought by King Hotu Matu'a, who sailed to the island from the mysterious homeland of Mara'e Renga ( English Mara"e Renga). This could really happen, since the Polynesians, settling new lands, brought with them seeds of plants that had important practical significance. The ancient Rapanui people were very well versed in agriculture, plants, and the peculiarities of their cultivation. Therefore, the island could easily feed several thousand people.

The settlers cut down the forest for economic needs (shipbuilding, housing construction, transportation moai etc.), and to free up space for crops. As a result of intensive felling, which continued for centuries, the forest was completely destroyed around 1600. The consequence of this was wind erosion soils that destroyed the fertile layer, a sharp reduction in fish catch due to the lack of forests for building boats, a drop in food production, mass starvation, cannibalism and a decrease in population several times over several decades.

One of the island's problems has always been the shortage of fresh water. There are no deep rivers on Rapa Nui, and water after rains easily seeps through the soil and flows towards the ocean. The Rapanui people built small wells, mixed fresh water with salt water, and sometimes they drank just salt water.

In addition to the tribes and clan communities that formed the basis of the social organization of Rapa Nui society, there were larger associations that were political in nature. Ten tribes, or mat (rap. mata), were divided into two warring alliances. The tribes of the west and north-west of the island were usually called people Tu'u is the name of a volcanic peak near Hanga Roa. They were also called Mata Nui. Tribes of the eastern part of the island historical legends called "the people of Hotu-iti."

Ahu Te Pito Kura - the center of the world in the folklore of the Easter Islanders

The ancient Rapanui people were extremely warlike. As soon as hostility began between the tribes, their warriors painted their bodies black and prepared their weapons for battle at night. After the victory, a feast was held at which the victorious warriors ate meat of the vanquished. The cannibals themselves on the island were called kai-tangata (rap. kai tangata). Cannibalism existed on the island until the Christianization of all its inhabitants.

Europeans on the island

"Rurik" on anchorage off Easter Island

The active conversion of Rapanui people to Christianity, although the leaders of local tribes for a long time resisted. August 14 1868 Eugene Eyraud died of tuberculosis. The missionary mission lasted about 5 years and had a positive impact on the inhabitants of the island: the missionaries taught writing (although they already had their own hieroglyphic writing), literacy, fought against theft, murder, polygamy, and contributed to the development Agriculture, breeding crops previously unknown on the island.

In 1868, an agent of the Brander trading house Dutroux-Bornier settled on the island with the permission of the missionaries ( Dutroux-Bornier), who took up breeding on Rapa Nui sheep. The heyday of its economic activity dates back to the period after the death of the last legitimate ruler, the son of the paramount leader Maurat, twelve-year-old Gregorio, who died in 1866.

Meanwhile, Rapa Nui's population declined significantly and 1877 amounted to 111 people.

Cult of "bird people" ( XVI / XVII -crabs)

Motu Nui Island, seen from Orongo

One of the attractions of the village of Orongo are the numerous petroglyphs with images of “bird-men” and the god Make-make (there are about 480 of them).

Rongo-rongo

Fragment of a tablet with the text rongo-rongo

Easter Island is the only island in Pacific Ocean, which developed its own writing system - rongo-rongo. The texts were recorded pictograms, way of writing - boustrophedon. Pictograms are one centimeter in size and are represented by various graphic symbols, images of people, body parts, animals, astronomical symbols, houses, boats and so on.

The Rongorongo writing has not yet been deciphered, despite the fact that many linguists have studied this problem. In 1995, linguist Stephen Fisher announced the decipherment of the Rongorongo texts, but his interpretation is disputed by other scholars.

The first to report the existence of tablets with ancient writings on Easter Island was the French missionary Eugene Eyraud. 1864.

Currently, there are many scientific hypotheses regarding the origin and meaning of Rapa Nui writing. M. Hornbostel, V. Hevesy, R. Heine-Geldern believed that the Easter Island letter came from India through China, and then from Easter Island the letter reached Mexico And Panama. R. Campbell claimed that this writing came from Far East through New Zealand. Imbelloni and later T. Heyerdahl tried to prove the South American Indian origin of both the Rapa Nui writing and the entire culture. Many experts on Easter Island, including Fischer himself, believe that all 25 tablets with the Rongorongo writing were born after the natives became familiar with European writing during the Spanish landing on the island in 1770.

Easter Island and the Lost Continent

Easter Island on the world map

This "Davies Land", which much later became identified with Easter Island, reinforced the conviction cosmographers of that time is that in this region there was a continent, which was, as it were, a counterweight Asia And Europe. This led to brave sailors searching for the lost continent. However, it was never found: instead, hundreds of islands were discovered Pacific Ocean.

With the discovery of Easter Island, it became widely believed that this is the continent eluding man, on which a highly developed civilization existed for thousands of years, which later disappeared in the depths of the ocean, and only high mountain peaks remained from the continent (in fact, this extinct volcanoes). The existence of huge statues on the island, moai, the unusual Rapa Nui tablets only reinforced this opinion.

However, modern study of the adjacent waters has shown that this is unlikely.

Easter Island is located 500 km from a ridge of seamounts known as East Pacific Rise, on a lithospheric plate Nazca. The island is located on top of a huge mountain formed from volcanic lava. The last volcanic eruption on the island occurred 3 million years ago. Although some scientists suggest that it occurred 4.5-5 million years ago.

According to local legends, in the distant past the island was large. It is quite possible that this was the case in glacial period Pleistocene when the level World Ocean was 100 meters lower. According to geological studies, Easter Island was never part of a sunken continent.

Notes

1. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Rapa Nui National Park. . Archived from the original on August 18, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
2. Easter Island Foundation. Frequently Asked Questions. What's the difference between "Rapa Nui" and "Rapanui"? . (inaccessible link - story) Retrieved April 13, 2007.
3. About Easter Island. Location. . (inaccessible link - story) Retrieved April 13, 2007.
4. Easter Island Statue Project. About Easter Island. (inaccessible link - story) Retrieved April 13, 2007.
5. Big Soviet Encyclopedia. 3rd edition. Article "Easter Island".
6. When compiling this table, data from the site http://islandheritage.org/vg/vg06.html was used
7. Easter Island Statue Project. About Easter Island. Flora. . (inaccessible link - story) Retrieved April 13, 2007.
8. Easter Island Statue Project. About Easter Island. Fauna. . (inaccessible link - story) Retrieved April 13, 2007.
9. Ethnologue.com.