Earth from Space: Easter Island Easter Island as seen by
astronauts aboard the International Space Station on Sept. 25,
2002. On Easter Sunday in 1722, Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen
became the first known European to encounter this Polynesian
island and gave it the name it has become most widely known by.
Easter Island (also known as Rapa Nui in the native language) is
one of the most isolated spots on Earth, lying some 2,000 miles
from the nearest areas of human habitation (Tahiti and Chile) —
even more remote than the astronauts orbiting at 210 nautical
miles above the Earth.. The island, which is only 15 miles long,
was annexed by Chile in 1888. (In Spanish, it is called "Isla de
Pascua," which means "Easter Island.") Archaeological evidence
suggests that Polynesians from other Pacific Islands discovered
and colonized Easter Island around the year 400. The island and
its early inhabitants are best known for the giant stone
monoliths, known as Moai, placed along the coastline. It is
thought that the popula