Paskah Island

Easter Island (Polynesian languages: Rapa Nui, Spanish: Isla de Pascua) is an island located in Chile's southern Pacific Ocean. Although the distance is 3515 km west of mainland Chile, administratively it belongs in the province of Valparaiso. Easter Island is shaped like a triangle. Nearest land is uninhabited Pitcairn Island is a distance of 2075 km to the west. Easter Island Area of 163.6 km ². According to the 2002 census, population of 3791 inhabitants where the majority settled in the capital of Hanga Roa. The island is famous for its many statues (statues), 400-year-old statues carved from stone which now lies along the coastline.

History
The man who first occupied the Easter Island are descendants of immigrants from the Polynesian island of Mangareva likely to come from or to the west of Pitcairn. The history of this island can be connected thanks to the king list of Easter Island that has been reconstructed, complete with a set of events and the approximate date since the year 400. Polynesian origin of the residents had a number of banana taro, sweet potato, sugar cane, mulberry paper (paper mulberry) and chicken. At one time, this island sustains a relatively advanced civilization and complex. Dutch navigator Jakob Roggeveen discovered Easter Island on Easter Day 1722. Roggeveen estimated that approximately 2000-3000 people inhabit this island, but it reaches a population of 10000-15000 inhabitants in the 16th century and 17th. Easter Island civilization has declined drastically since 100 years before the arrival of Dutch, mainly due to the dense population, deforestation and exploitation of limited natural resources on the island is very isolated. However, until the mid-19th century, the population has increased up to 4000 inhabitants. Only intermittent time 20 years later, deportation to Peru and Chile as well as a variety of diseases brought by Westerners nearly exterminate the entire population, with only 111 inhabitants in the island in 1877. The island was annexed by Chile on 1888 by Policarpo Toro. The number of indigenous tribes Rapanui has slowly increased from a record low amount to 111 souls.

Please note that the name "Rapa Nui" Easter Island is not the original name given by the tribe Rapanui. The name was coined by labor immigrants from Rapa in the tribal Bass Islands, who likened his hometown. Rapanui tribal name given to this island is Te Pito o te henua ("navel of the World") because keterpencilannya, but that term is also taken from another location, possibly from a building in the Marquesas.

Events recently have shown a significant increase in the tourism sector, coupled with the large number of people who came from mainland Chile which threatens synchronized, there must Polynesians on Easter Island. Issues of land ownership has created political tensions in the last 20 years, with some indigenous Rapanui opposed to personal property but agrees with the traditional land of the commons. (See the contents of Demography at the bottom.)

Culture Easter
Large sculptures of stone, or statues, which became the symbol of Easter Island carved during the earlier than expected. Current estimates are archaeological gouge lasts between 1600 and 1730, the last statue carved when Jakob Roggeveen found the island. There are more than 600 huge monolithic stone statues (statues). Although the part that is often seen only the "head", statues actually have a complete torso, but many statues that have been buried up to his neck. Most were carved out of stone at Rano Raraku.

Quarry there seems to have been abandoned abruptly, with half-finished statues left in the stone. Popular theory states that the statues were carved by the Polynesian inhabitants (Rapanui) at the time when the island is mostly planted with trees and resources were plentiful, supporting a population of 10,000-15,000 native Rapanui. The majority of statues are still standing upright when Roggeveen arrived in 1722. Captain James Cook also saw many standing statues when he landed on the island in 1774. Until the 19th century, the statue has fallen due to internecine warfare.


"Rongorongo"
There are different sheets (tablet) that is found on the island that contains very mysterious. Writings, known as Rongorongo, can not be described in spite of various generations of linguists have tried. A Hungarian scholar Wilhelm or Guillaume de Hevesy, in 1932 attracted the attention of several characters rongorongo similarities between Easter Island and the writings of pre-historic Indus Valley in India, which connects dozens (sedkitnya 40) rongorongo with a seal from Mohenjo-daro. This relationship has been reissued in various books. Rongorongo meaning of peace-peace is possible, and his writings may be recorded peace treaty documents, such as between the long-eared and short-eared ruler. However, the explanation is still in debate.