Location, geography, flora, fauna, population

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Location & geography

Easter Island is a triangular-shaped hilly volcanic island belonging to Chile, located in the south Pacific.

It is 3.600 km (2.237 mi) west from continental Chile and 2.075 km (1.290 mi) from the Pitcairn Islands. A remote island, many flight hours away from any closest inhabited land.

Chile and the Pitcairn Islands are the closes populated islands, but the Sala Y Gómez rocky uninhabited islands are the closest, about 390 km away. Sala Y Gómez are 2 small rocky islands where only birds and other animals live.

The rocks from Easter Island have similar origin (material and formation) as those on the Galápagos Islands. 

The surface of Easter Island is 163.6 km². The island is big enough for a large airstrip, the Mataveri International Airport.

And, when on Easter Island, don't wonder out all by yourself too much, it is big enough to get lost! And getting back to Hanga Roa can be difficult and night might catch you.

Mountains, rather hills over 500 m high cover the island. Most of these are volcanic cones, craters, some with freshwater in them. Maunga Terevaka is the highest, of 507 m high, of volcanic origin and has several lakes on top of it, among them the Rano Aroi volcano's crater(s). On its slopes, Terevaka has several secondary small volcanic cones, hills, small craters.

Flora & fauna

There are few trees on the island. In the past, the locals shaved the palm forests off in order to build shelters, for firewood and to transport the magnificent moai.

A small artificial forest is located in the center of Easter Island. Various trees, especially palms are in Hanga Roa, the beaches of Anakena, Ovahe, etc.

As for animals: mostly birds of various species live on Easter Island, there are no dangerous creatures on land. Sharks occasionally appear close to the coast. 

Population of Easter Island

At the 2002 census, the population of Rapa Nui was 3.791 persons. Out of these 3.304 lived in Hanga Roa, while the rest in other places, like farms on the other parts of the island.

Ethnic/racial distribution is the following: 60 % Rapanui (indigenous), 39 % Chileans of European descent, Mestizo, 1 % Amerindian.

As for the homes of the inhabitants: 2.269 people lived on Easter Island, while 2.378 on mainland Chile. About half of those living in mainland Chile were from metropolitan Santiago.

Easter Island's population density is 23 persons/km².