Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle

30 January 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  12 minutes

15 standing moai at Ahu Tongariki © Bjørn Christian Tørrissen/cc-by-sa-3.0

15 standing moai at Ahu Tongariki © Bjørn Christian Tørrissen/cc-by-sa-3.0

Easter Island (Rapa Nui: Rapa Nui; Spanish: Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, which were created by the early Rapa Nui people. In 1995, UNESCO named Easter Island a World Heritage Site, with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park.   read more…

French Polynesia in the Pacific

16 November 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Tahiti - Papeete - Marina Taina © Remi Jouan/cc-by-sa-3.0

Tahiti – Papeete – Marina Taina © Remi Jouan/cc-by-sa-3.0

French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity of the French Republic; collectivité d’outre-mer de la République française (COM), sometimes unofficially referred to as an overseas country; pays d’outre-mer (POM). It is composed of 118 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over an expanse of more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) in the South Pacific Ocean.   read more…

The Aloha State Hawaii

10 May 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Oahu - U.S. Federal Court © D Ramey Logan

Oahu – U.S. Federal Court © D Ramey Logan

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states (August 21, 1959), and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. Hawaii’s diverse natural scenery, warm tropical climate, abundance of public beaches and oceanic surrounding, and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for tourists, surfers, biologists, and volcanologists alike. Due to its mid-Pacific location, Hawaii has many North American and Asian influences along with its own vibrant native culture. Hawaii has over a million permanent residents along with many visitors and U.S. military personnel. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu.   read more…

Return to TopReturn to Top