The History of Easter Island.

I'll begin with a overview and summary

in case you fall asleep in the first few minutes.

Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui,

is a Chilean island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean.

It is famous for its huge 887 statues called Moai, created by the early Rappanui people.

Polynesian people most likely settled on Easter Island sometime between 700 and 1100 AD or CE.

It is likely that they created a thriving and industrious culture as evidenced by those huge statues,

as well as other artifacts.

But over time, some mysterious events, and some probably well-understood events,

led to a large drop in the population,

deforestation of the island,

and other devastating effects of the culture and people of Rappanui.

At its peak, there were probably about 15,000 people living on Easter Island.

And then at another low point, there were only 111 people on the island.

The rest of this episode will explore some more details about the island, the history of the island,

and all these strange events that occurred on the island. That led to the rise, the fall,

and now the recovery of Easter Island.

I'll begin with some interesting facts and historical details.

Easter Island is a relatively small triangle-shaped island.

It is about 15 miles or 24 kilometers long

and about 8 miles or 12 kilometers wide.

...