Do you love history? Are you an artist? Do you admire ancient statues? (Especially the creepy looking ones?) Are you a fan of mythology?
Or do you just want a silent get away where no one can find you no matter how hard they try?
Who knows, Easter Island may just be what you're looking for !
"Rapa Nui"
"Isla de Pascua"
E . A . S . T . E . R I. S . L . A . N . D
Brief History
Lying along the Pacific Ocean near Chile, Easter Island has seen many disasters that one can only dream of or even hear in the news! Over the centuries, the people here have faced famine, disease epidemics, slave raids, and civil war along with various contacts from outsiders (especially the Europeans).
Have you ever imagined a situation where you wake up one day and find out that every single person in your country is dying and there is no chance for survival? That would be quite scary won't it?
Well Easter Island has seen its population crash many times, especially during the 1860s.
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Population :
Easter Island has a very limited population of just above 3000 inhabitants. This place is known to be one of the world's most isolated inhabited areas. If you would like to move out from the city life and spend some quality time away from civilization, then this is definitely the place for you. It is probably the last place one would check for any signs of human movement.
Language
The local language here is Rapa Nui. Interesting name?
Well Rapa Nui is the language that's been passed down by the Polynesian ancestors of Easter Island. However with time, the influence from the European settlers led to Spanish developing as the mainstream language spoken at Easter Island. Slowly, the Rapa Nui language is fading away as newer generations continue the legacy through Spanish.
Music
What would we ever do without music right? However, don't expect to hear any pop or hip-hop around here !
Easter Island music is a fusion of traditional Rapa Nui and the culture of Chile. The Rapa Nui music consists of singing in choirs and the use trumpets and other percussion instruments. Due to the influence from Chile, Latin American music, such as tango, has also become an integral part of Easter Island.
Food
Tired of all those pizzas and hamburgers and want to try something a bit more authentic?
Well if you love seafood, then Easter Island is the place for you! This menu incorporates fish, lobsters, eels etc., along with some sweet potatoes, bananas, pineapples, coconuts, and pumpkins !
If you're looking for a classic, then try some umu, meat, fish vegetables and fruit wrapped in banana leaves and roasted in an earth oven. This is possibly your easiest access to a natural oven where you don't need any electricity.
Interesting Facts
1) Stone work is totally in! The culture here was pretty much an extension of Stone Age and the Polynesians that lived here put their crafty skills to work on various local stones, such as obsidian, basalt, etc.
2) Easter Island is especially famous for its large stone statues, known as Moai. These were carved from 1100-1680 CE and about 887 of these statues have been discovered till date.
3) Ever heard of the Hieroglyphics by the Egyptians? Well come find the Petroglyphs of the Polynesians ! Easter Island has an extensive collection
of these pictures carved into rocks.
Edited by supercool3 - 10 years ago
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