Easter island. Remote does not even begin to describe this fascinating island. The closest inhabited island is Pitcairn Island with 50 inhabitants located 1300 miles away. Mainland Chile is over 2,100 miles, a 6 hour plane ride.
Yet it boasts one of the longest runways in the Pacific thanks to the US space program. In 1986, the US extended the runway in both directions to serve as an emergency landing spot if the space shuttle got into trouble after liftoff.
And mystery surrounds the island. No one is really sure of how and when the island was settled. Archeologists disagree when the island was inhabited first, with varying estimates of 300 AD to 1200 AD. At one point there were 10,000 to 20,000 residents, however by 1877 there were only 111 residents left.
And then there are the Moai, the ancient statues which bring so many to Easter island. How were they made, moved, toppled? We have much to still learn about this fascinating island. I thought I would find answers on visiting it first hand, but only came away with more questions.
