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Where is Easter Island?
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Easter Island's
extreme isolation in the Pacific gives clues to
the sort of volcanic activity that created it, but
has created many mysteries regarding its
inhabitants.(6,
pg. x) |
27° S, 109°
W
Reference
points:
-2,092 km SE of Pitcairn (the
nearest inhabited land)
-3,599 km NW of Concepción, Chile
(nearest point in S. America)
-3,474 km SW of the Galapagos
Islands
-The Pacific Ocean is located
north, south, east, west and everywhere in between.
(6,
pg. 9)
Ownership and Background:
There is
significant mystery and debate about the original
inhabitants of the island and their origins.
Evidence seems to indicate that the original settlers
came from the West; they were of Polynesian origin.
Alternative theories abound however, and many like
Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl insist there is evidence of
settlement by Amerindians as well. The mainstream
explains away evidence of this by theorizing that
Polynesians may have traveled as far as South American
itself and brought evidence of Amerindians to Easter
Island on their return voyage.(6,
pg. 40) It is thought that these
settlers arrived sometime around 400 CE.2
The most commonly accepted date for discovery by
Europeans is 5 April 1722 when Dutch commander Jacob
Roggeveen and his crew spotted the island. It is
from this discovery that the island takes its name, as
the ship stumbled upon the island on Easter Day.(6,
pg. 2) Today the island belongs to the
nation of Chile.
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