| an island in the S Pacific, W of and belonging to Chile. ab. 45 sq. mi. (117 sq. km): gigantic statues. |
Easter Island Known locally as Ra·pa Nu·i  (rä'pə nōō'ē)  An island of Chile in the southern Pacific Ocean about 3,701 km (2,300 mi) west of the mainland. Inhabited by Polynesians since the fifth century A.D. and encountered by Dutch explorers on Easter Day, 1722, the island is famous for its hieroglyphic tablets and colossal heads carved from volcanic rock, which were probably produced by the Polynesian inhabitants during a period from roughly 1000 to 1600. |