Easter Island

This passage describes Easter Island, located in the South Pacific.

Lexile Level: 780L

Categories: People & Places

Easter Island is a tiny island in the South Pacific. It is known for the huge stone heads that dot its coast. Most of the heads are 13 feet high and weigh 14 tons. The largest head found on the island is almost 72 feet tall. The smallest one is less than four feet tall. They are carved out of hardened volcanic ash. Scientists believe the statues were created between 1400 and 1600 A.D. by the island's native people. They think the heads represent family members and chiefs that they respected. The people may have used the statues to talk with the gods. Scientists found almost 900 carved heads scattered across the island. Only one-third of the statues made it to the sites along the coast. The rest of the heads were found in rock quarries and along paths to the coast.