The imposing statues that line the coast of Easter Island have been an ... surrounding the sculptures: why were they built? The volcanic stone figures, called moai in the island’s native ...

There is no place in the world like Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui. It feels like it is not even of this world. Located more than 2,000 miles from South America's mainland, it is one of the ...

and visitors to the island since the first European explorers arrived here in 1722. In their isolation, why did the early Easter Islanders undertake this colossal statue-building effort?