How did Chile get Easter Island?

THE FACT THAT CHILE, a small South American country, distant by 2,000 miles and with absolutely no Polynesian ties, exercises sovereignty over Easter Island is, to many, a mystery as pro- found as the origin of the giant stone statues that cover the is- land. This paper will not rectify errors, will not set the record. read more

Legally, it was annexed in 1888, through a treaty signed by the Government of Chile and Atamu Tekena, who was indicated as king of Easter Island, after the paramount chief and his heirs had died. read more

Most people who wish to get to Easter Island will do so leaving from Chile, particularly the capital city, Santiago. read more

Easter Island covers roughly 64 square miles in the South Pacific Ocean, and is located some 2,300 miles from Chile’s west coast and 2,500 miles east of Tahiti. Known as Rapa Nui to its earliest inhabitants, the island was christened Paaseiland, or Easter Island, by Dutch explorers in honor of the day of their arrival in 1722. read more

I’d like to dovetail on this question by harkening back to the arrival of some of the continent’s indigenous, the Mapuche (People of the Earth), who are of Polynesian descent, perhaps close relatives to the original inhabitants of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, which was incorporated into the Valparaiso Region of Chile in September of 1888. read more