The name "Easter Island" was given by the island's first recorded European visitor, the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who encountered it in 1722, on Easter Sunday. Easterr Island is over 2,000 miles from the nearest population center, (Tahiti and Chile), making it one of the most isolated places on Earth. The island is approx 24.6 km (15.3 miles) long by 12.3 km (7.6 miles) at its widest point. It has an area of 163.6 km² (63 sq miles), and a maximum altitude of 507 metres.
Easter Island is a volcanic high island, consisting mainly of three extinct coalesced volcanoes: Terevaka (altitude 507 metres) forms the bulk of the island. Two other volcanoes, Poike and Rano Kau, form the eastern and southern headlands and give the island its roughly triangular shape. Pukao, Moai and Easter Island were formed in the last 750,000 years, with the most recent eruption a little over a hundred thousand years ago.
Easter Island today, remains one of the most unique places one will encounter. It is an open air museum showing a fascinating, but unfortunately lost, culture. The Rapanui are among the friendliest people, and the landscape is truly amazing - with its volcanic craters, lava formations, beaches, brilliant blue water, and archaeological sites .
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