Îles Easter et Pitcairn : naufragés, moai et mutins

Ce grand port moderne dessert la capitale du Chili, Santiago, une ville au charme colonial espagnol et à l’esprit vif. Entourée par les Andes et la chaîne côtière, Santiago est centrée autour de la Plaza de Armas, où se trouvent plusieurs des points d’intérêt de la ville : la cathédrale métropolitaine du XVIIIe siècle, le Palacio de la Real Audencia de 1808, l’hôtel de ville et le musée national d’histoire. Au nord de San Antonio se trouvent le vieux port pittoresque et la ville universitaire de Valparaíso, ainsi que la station balnéaire colorée de Viña del Mar. Entre la côte et la capitale se trouvent des vallées remplies de quelques-uns des vignobles les plus célèbres du Chili, qui vous invitent tous à venir les déguster.

The southeastern-most point in the Polynesian Triangle, tiny Easter Island in the South Pacific is one of the most remote places on earth. Even more oddly, it belongs to Chile, which lies 3,700 miles away over the eastern horizon. In fact, a large slice of the island is Chile’s Rapa Nui National Park, preserving the sculptural heritage of the indigenous Rapa Nui people, whose ancestors carved the huge human effigies called moai that give the island its renown and earned it UNESCO World Heritage Site status. These stylized sculptures stand on the slopes of the island, gazing implacably out to sea, often on stone platforms called ahu. They were apparently carved between the 13th and 16th centuries, for reasons that are debated. But the enigmatic effigies, the dramatic volcanic landscape, the Rapa Nui people themselves and the sheer isolation of the island combine to draw visitors from every corner of the globe to this speck in the world’s largest ocean.

The southeastern-most point in the Polynesian Triangle, tiny Easter Island in the South Pacific is one of the most remote places on earth. Even more oddly, it belongs to Chile, which lies 3,700 miles away over the eastern horizon. In fact, a large slice of the island is Chile’s Rapa Nui National Park, preserving the sculptural heritage of the indigenous Rapa Nui people, whose ancestors carved the huge human effigies called moai that give the island its renown and earned it UNESCO World Heritage Site status. These stylized sculptures stand on the slopes of the island, gazing implacably out to sea, often on stone platforms called ahu. They were apparently carved between the 13th and 16th centuries, for reasons that are debated. But the enigmatic effigies, the dramatic volcanic landscape, the Rapa Nui people themselves and the sheer isolation of the island combine to draw visitors from every corner of the globe to this speck in the world’s largest ocean.

Adamstown is the capital of, and the only settlement on, the Pitcairn Islands.