Voyage Into Mystery: the European Discovery of Easter Island
Overview
Dutch Admiral Jacob Roggeveen (1659-1729) made the first European discovery of Easter Island on Easter Day, April 5, 1722, and ended 1,400 years of isolation on the island. Triangular shaped, Easter Island or Rapa Nui as it is known locally, is located 2,300 miles (3,700 km) west of the Chilean coast in the South Pacific Ocean. Over 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from the nearest populated center, Rapa Nui is one of the most isolated settlements in the world. The island is small, only 60 square miles (155 sq km), and is barren except for the hardy grasses that grow there, but is noted because of the large mysterious statues or moai that dot the island. Although the discovery of this island was not considered important at the time, it has since attracted the attention of archaeologists and scientists from all over the world.
Background
It was largely the hunt for riches and commerce that led to the exploration of the South Pacific Ocean by Europeans. It was commonly believed there was a large super continent called terra australis incognito in the Southern Hemisphere, and many expeditions left for the Pacific in search of it.
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