Easter Island may just be the most remote inhabited place on earth. The Polynesian island sits all by itself in the South Pacific Ocean. The nearest other inhabited island is Pitcairn Island 1,289 miles away.

The island is closer to other islands in the Pacific Ocean such as Tahiti than it is to continental South America. It is 2,182 miles from Chile to which the island belongs.

The island was made a special territory of Chile after being annexed in 1888. Easter island, known as Rapa Nui to its 5,563 inhabitants, is famous for its more than 800 monumental monolithic stone statues known as moai created by its early inhabitants who settled the island around 1,000 CE.

It was discovered on Easter Sunday 1722 hence its name. The triangular, volcanic island is 7.6 miles at its widest point. The climate is described as a tropical rainforest climate bordering on humid subtropical climate.The early peoples were a Stone Age and worked extensively with basalt. The island has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and most of it is protected within the Rapa Nui National Park.

Petroglyphs – art carved into rocks – are also popular on the island.Easter Island has one international airport – the Mataveri International Airport and has jet services from Lan Airlines.Getting to Easter Island is now much easier than ever. It is possible to fly from Tahiti, from Lima, Peru or Santiago, Chile.

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