Rapa Nui National Park

Rapa Nui National Park

Introduction

Recognized as a World Heritage Site in 1995, this isolated island in the South Pacific, about 3,800 nautical miles from the Chilean coast, covers an area of approximately 180 square kilometers. It was named Easter Island by Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen, who landed on the island on Easter Day in 1722. It is believed that between the 10th and 16th centuries, the island's indigenous people carved over 1,000 massive stone statues, known as moai, for religious purposes. These humanoid figures stand 2 to 10 meters tall and weigh between 40 and 80 tons. Many of the mysterious moai wear red stone hats. Strangely, their eyes have all been gouged out. The eyeless moai stand silently on the island, gazing up at the sky, as if quietly recounting a distant tale and leaving behind an unfathomable mystery and endless imagination for future generations.

Santiago, Chile