It is one of the most touristic places in Chile, receiving 12,000 tourists per month on average.
This isolated volcanic island, located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean combines the beauty of its panoramic views with archaeological enigmas that fascinate its visitors. Plenty of activities can be done in the island; horseback riding, scuba, fishing, traditional dances, navigation and gastronomy combined with the amazing archaeological areas. It is believed that Easter Island's Polynesian inhabitants arrived on Easter Island sometime near 1200 AD. They created a thriving and industrious culture, as evidenced by the island's numerous enormous stone moai and other artifacts. However, land clearing for cultivation and the introduction of the Polynesian rat led to gradual deforestation. By the time of European arrival in 1722, the island's population was estimated to be 2,000–3,000. European diseases, Peruvian slave raiding expeditions in the 1860s, and emigration to other islands, e.g. Tahiti, further depleted the population, reducing it to a low of 111 native inhabitants in 1877. Chile annexed Easter Island in 1888. In 1966, the Rapa Nui were granted Chilean citizenship. In 2007 the island gained the constitutional status of "special territory." Administratively, it belongs to the Valparaíso Region, comprising a single commune of the Province Isla de Pascua. The 2017 Chilean census registered 7,750 people on the island, of whom 3,512 (45%) considered themselves Rapa Nui. The nearest continental point lies in central Chile, 3,512 kilometres (2,182 mi) away. Easter Island is considered part of Insular Chile. |