The Mysteries of the Moai on Easter Island | National Geographic

less than 1m read

·Nov 11, 2024

[Music] Imposing stone sentinels stand guard on Rapanui, a volcanic island that anchors the western point of the Polynesian triangle in the South Pacific. You might know it as Easter Island.

[Music] About 42% of the island is Rapa Nui National Park, a world heritage property established in 1995 to preserve the natural and cultural wonders of this Chilean territory. This Polynesian outpost blossomed in isolation, developing a distinct architectural and artistic culture. Moai, the enormous heads that dot the landscape, are the lasting legacy of this ancient society. The effort to construct these monuments and move them around the island must have been considerable, but no one knows exactly why the Rapa Nui people undertook such a task.

The hundreds of moai standing on Easter Island today were restored by historians, anthropologists, and archeologists in the 20th century. To get the best view of the moai, trek to Rano Raraku, where the volcanic rock used in their construction was quarried. Of the 887 remaining statues on the island, roughly 400 are strewn in and around the volcanic crater.

While most people visit Rapa Nui to explore its cultural history, the island is also home to some excellent diving, surfing, and enticing beaches. It's miraculous that Polynesian people ever reached Rapa Nui in the first place. Getting there today is much easier, but the island is still very far afield. Long flights service Rapa Nui from Chile and Tahiti.

[Music]

One Year & 100,000 Subscribers Later (Thank You!)

The Problem With the Trolley Problem

View All

Gilded Age versus Silicon Valley | GDP: Measuring national income | Macroeconomics | Khan Academy

Let’s give ourselves a little bit more food for thought on this labor versus capital question. So, like we’ve mentioned many, many, many times, in order to produce anything, you need a little bit of both. Or you maybe need a lot of both. You need labor, a…

Horses vs. Horsepower: Watch Historic Rides Race Each Other | National Geographic

History is important, and we get hundred-year-old vehicles out and run. We feel that the educational aspect of someone being able to see these cars in motion is well beyond what someone would learn simply by watching the cars in a museum. Welcome to Race…

Introduction to powers of 10

In this video, I’m going to introduce you to a new type of mathematical notation that will seem fancy at first, but hopefully, you’ll appreciate is pretty useful and also pretty straightforward. So let’s just start with some things that we already know. …

Humanity's Fascination with Mars | MARS

Dreamers of space have always had their eyes there, their hopes, their aspirations on getting to Mars. It has to look at the sky, saw that thought, and wondered what’s on it. As soon as people understood what planets were, some of them said, “Wouldn’t it …

15 Things That Seem Important But Aren't

You know, from the moment we wake up in the morning, we can feel society’s pressures looming over us like a dark cloud, can’t we? But what if some of the things they tell us we need to have aren’t really that important at all? What if we could kick these …

How to reduce test prep anxiety: 3 tips from Sal Khan

Here are my tips for reducing stress around taking important tests. Tip one: Build a habit of practice. Building a habit of practice is super valuable. I know I’m guilty of myself sometimes; I get so caught up with something or I’m stressed about somethi…

The Mysteries of the Moai on Easter Island | National Geographic

More Articles