To a greater extent, the uniqueness of this island lies in the ambiguous opinion about it. On the one hand, people know everything about this area, and on the other, almost nothing. The mysterious stone statues of Easter Island are silent witnesses of an unknown ancient culture. It is still unclear how and who created these giant sculptures from the rocks.
And among such ancient witnesses of the past, modern people built an airport on Easter Island. It will be discussed in the article, but first we will provide some information about this unique corner of our planet.
General information
The island is located in the southeast Pacific Ocean between Tahiti and Chile. The natives called it Rapa Nui (or Rapanui). This is the most remote piece of land on the entire globe. To the nearby mainland in the west, the distance is 2092 kilometers, in the east - 2971 kilometers. Has an island shapetriangle, in each corner of which are extinct volcanoes.
Area - 160 sq. km. This area is recognized as the highest point above the level of the oceans. The hill is called the East Pacific. The famous traveler Thor Heyerdahl once wrote that the closest land that the locals see from the island is the Moon. The only city and capital of the island is Anga Roa. It should be noted that it has its own flag and coat of arms.
There is also an airport on Easter Island, its name is Mataveri. This earthly corner previously had several names: Vaihu, San Carlos, Mata-ki-te-Ragi, Rapanui, Tekaouhangoaru, Teapi, Te-Pito-o-te-henua and Hititeairaga.
What do legends and research say?
Before we find out where the Easter Island airport is located, let's dive into the mysteries of this unique earthly place.
According to some legends, Easter Island was once part of one large country (for example, it may be the surviving part of Atlantis). And it looks quite plausible, because on Easter today, a lot of evidence has been found that confirms this. There are roads leading directly to the ocean, as well as underground tunnels dug, starting in local caves and paving the way in an unknown direction. There are other important pieces of evidence and unusual finds.
Interesting data are given about underwater research near Easter Island and by the Australian Howard Tirloren,who arrived in these places with a group of Cousteau (1978). Having studied in detail the coastal bottom of the ocean, they came to the conclusion that the mountains under water have an unusual appearance (there are holes in them that resemble window openings) due to the fact that in this place once, perhaps, there was part of a large city. It turns out that most of Easter Island went under water due to some kind of disaster.
Easter Island Airport
Mataveri International Airport serves the World Heritage Air Terminal, Chile's Southeast Ocean Territory and Easter Island. This international airport is the only one on the island and the only starting point for tourists to the huge mysterious statues of Moai Island. Easter.
The area of the runway has been increased in connection with its designation as the location of the NASA shuttle. The air harbor is operated only by LAN Airlines and operated by the Chilean Air Force.
Features
Easter Island International Airport was built on territory owned by the State of Chile. It is located not far from the city of Hanga Roa and next to the towering Rano Khao volcano.
A rather large length of the airport, which is 3318 meters, is necessary for the landing of space shuttles "Shuttle" in emergency situations. Initially, in 1966, the United States built an air force base here, and already in 1986, employees of the Space Agency of the same state installed special equipment for landing spacecraft.ships.
The Mataveri airfield is used for an intermediate landing of a single international flight - from Santiago to the city of Papeete (Tahiti). This flight is operated by LAN Airlines. There are also flights of local airlines only to the city of Santiago, which are operated by the same airline. There are approximately 43 domestic and 1 international flights per week.
The airport is designed for landing aircraft of any class. Between December and March, liners fly daily, and the rest of the time - once a week. Easter Island official airport address: Isla de Pascua, Chile.
Infrastructure
Easter Island's airport is the most remote in the world. However, the flow of tourists to the island is increasing every year, who want to see local ancient sights with their own eyes. In this regard, the number of flights is also growing, and work is underway to increase the area of the terminal building, which has a restaurant, a bar, a souvenir shop, and a passenger lounge.
Within a radius of about three kilometers is the Explora Rapa Nui hotel, built of wood, concrete and glass in the style of African lodges. The windows of the rooms have a view of the Pacific Ocean and green spacious meadows. There are also pensions and guest houses in the area.
