Easter Island, known in the native language as Rapa Nui ("Big Rapa") or Isla de Pascua ("Passover Island") in Spanish, is an island in the south Pacific Ocean belonging to Chile. Located 3,600 km (2,237 statute miles) west of continental Chile and 2,075 km (1,290 statute miles) east of Pitcairn Island, it is one of the most isolated inhabited islands in the world. It is located at , with a latitude close to that of the Chilean city of Copiapó, north of Santiago. The island is approximately triangular in shape, with an area of 163.6 km² (63 sq. miles), and a population of 3,791 (2002 census), 3,304 of which live in the capital of Hanga Roa. Easter is made up of three volcanoes: Poike, Rano Kau and Terevaka. The island is famous for its numerous moai, the stone statues now located along the coastlines. Administratively, it is a province (containing a single municipality) of the Chilean Valparaíso Region. The standard time is six hours behind UTC (UTC-6) (five hours behind including one hour of daylight saving time).
History
Oral traditions and early history
Early European visitors to Easter Island recorded the local oral traditions of the original settlers. In these traditions, Easter Islanders claimed that a chief Hotu Matu'a arrived on the island in one or two large canoes with his wife and extended family. There is considerable uncertainty about the accuracy of this legend as well as the date of settlement. Published literature suggests the island was settled around AD 300-400, or at about the time of the arrival of the earliest settlers in Hawaii. Some scientists say that Easter Island was not inhabited until the later years of AD 700-800. This date range is based on glottochronological calculations and on three radiocarbon dates from charcoal that appears to have been produced during forest clearance activities. (Diamond 2005:89) On the other hand, a recent study, including radiocarbon dates from what is thought to be very early materials, indicates that the island was settled as recently as AD 1200, the time of the deforestation of the island (Hunt and Lipo 2006).
More on [ Easter Island ]
Barbadians gripe over snake 'find' Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 They long knew about the world's smallest snake, which just made its scientific debut.
A small snake has sparked a big debate in Barbados.
World Briefing Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 China: Quake-hit schools were poorly built / Mexico: Three held in beheadings / Russia: Army kills 5 Muslim rebels in Dagestan
Schools were poorly built
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels opens its doors to mariachi camp Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 The L.A. cathedral plays host to young musicians learning the upbeat Mexican genre.
Joacim Naranjo plays the trumpet pretty well. But the 16-year-old from East Los Angeles found himself flapping his sore lips like a horse as he and a half dozen other boys tried to master the rapidly cascading sounds of a mariachi song.
Los Angeles International Latino Film Festival to begin Sept. 12 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 A production boom in Colombia will be felt.
I N THE film " Paraso Travel,” a young immigrant named Marlon finds himself lost and broke shortly after arriving in New York and being separated from his girlfriend, the cunning and sexy Reina, played by Anglica Blandn. He meets an older man, a fixer for new arrivals, who helps him find shelter and asks the naive illegal what else he might need.
U.S. national team makes a rare trip to Cuba Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 Americans are favored in World Cup qualifier, but Cubans are fired up for the event.
Sixty-one years have slipped by since the one and only time the United States played Cuba in a soccer match on Cuban soil.
LAX tightens security measures after alleged smuggling Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 Airport and federal officials have made adjustments in the international terminal after an elevator mechanic was arrested on suspicion of helping illegal immigrants enter the country.
Airport officials and federal authorities said Thursday that they have tightened security at Los Angeles International Airport because of the recent arrest of an elevator mechanic suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States.
UN News Centre - Americas
UN rushing aid to Caribbean nations hit hard by severe weather Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 The United Nations is providing assistance to a number of countries in the Caribbean that have been badly affected by recent severe weather, particularly Haiti which has been the worst hit, the world body's top humanitarian official said today. Emergency aid expected to reach stranded Haitians, says UN agency Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 The United Nations food agency expects to be able to send emergency assistance today to Haitians stranded in the flooded northern city of Gonaves, which was battered by Tropical Storm Hanna on Monday night. Floating clinic brings vital health care to Ecuador's refugee communities - UN Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Isolated communities living in northern Ecuador are now able to receive urgently-needed health care thanks to a new floating clinic launched with the help of the United Nations refugee agency.