Easter Island, Remote volcanic island in Pacific Ocean, Chile.

Easter Island is a triangular volcanic island in the southeastern Pacific, a special territory of Chile whose 163.6 square kilometres are administered from Hanga Roa, the only town. Three extinct volcanoes and steep coastal cliffs define its outline, and dark grey stone moai stand on grassy slopes, some upright, one fallen face-down, with smaller stone heads along the ridgeline.

Polynesian voyagers reached the island around 1200 and began carving nearly 1000 stone statues called moai, placing them on ceremonial platforms along the coast. Statue production stopped in the 17th century when internal conflict and environmental changes transformed the society, leaving many moai toppled or abandoned at quarry sites.

The island's name Rapa Nui, meaning "Big Rapa", was coined by Tahitian sailors in the 19th century after the resemblance they saw to Rapa Iti in the Austral Islands. Islanders are called pascuense in Spanish, while members of the indigenous community are commonly known as Rapa Nui. The name Easter Island comes from the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who reached the island on Easter Sunday, 5 April 1722.

Visitors need a national park pass valid for five days to enter archaeological sites, with separate fees for Chilean residents and international travelers. The best travel window runs from October through March when weather is more stable and rain is less frequent, while winter months from June to August bring cooler temperatures and more frequent storms.

Easter Island lies 3,512 km (2,182 mi) from the Chilean mainland, and its nearest inhabited neighbour, Pitcairn Island, is 2,075 km (1,289 mi) to the west; the closest town of over 500 people, Rikitea on Mangareva, is 2,606 km (1,619 mi) away. The island's Mataveri airport runway was lengthened in the 1980s to serve as an emergency landing site for NASA space shuttles.