Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui and Isla de Pascua, is an isolated island owned by Chili and located about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from Chile and Tahiti. Polynesians traveled to Easter Island and formed a community that flourished between 1,000 and 1,500 AD. During this time, they carved more than 800 statues, or Moai, from porous rock volcanic rock.
The Moai of Easter Island stand as tall as 33 feet (10 metres) and weigh many tons. They resemble enormous heads with truncated torsos. Some faces were decorated with coral eyes. Archaeologists speculate that the Moai represented a god, a mythical creature, or a revered ancestor.
