Hanga Roa (; rap, Haŋa Roa,
Rapa Nui pronunciation: ">ˆha.Å‹a ˈɾo.a (Spanish: ''BahÃa Larga'') is the main town, harbour and seat of
Easter Island, a municipality of
Chile. It is located in the southern part of the island's west coast, in the lowlands between the extinct volcanoes of
Terevaka and
Rano Kau.
History
''Hanga Roa'' in the native
Rapa Nui language means "wide bay" or "long bay".
Upon Chile's claim of the island, the
Rapa Nui were gathered in Hanga Roa, and the rest of the land was leased to a sheep farm.
[Annie Murphy]
For Chile, Colossal Trouble On Easter Island
''Npr.org'', 9 September 2010 (accessed on 31 May 2019) For much of the twentieth century, the rest of the island was leased to the CompañÃa Explotadora de la Isla de Pascua (CEDIP) (a subsidiary of
Williamson-Balfour Company
The Williamson-Balfour Company (or ''Williamson, Balfour and Company'') was a Scottish owned Chilean company. Its successor company, Williamson Balfour Motors S.A., is a subsidiary of the British company Inchcape plc.
The company was founded ...
) and closed to the Rapa Nui.
Some disagreements between the government of Chile and the Rapa Nui has led the locals with ancestral roots to "take over" many hotels in the city. For the locals, it is a way to draw the line between the Chilean government's policy-making in the island, and the Rapa Nui's ancestral rights on their land.
In 2011, the Schiess family, owner of the Hanga Roa Hotel, donated back the land of the hotel to the Rapa Nui, but retained a 30-year management lease of the hotel. A week before, the Schiess family had personally shipped a special force squad from the
Carabineros de Chile to remove the locals who squatted the hotel. A prior police intervention in August 2010 had led to 25 Rapa Nui protesters being wounded.
Geography
The island's main avenue, Avenida Atamu Tekena (formerly Avenida Policarpo Toro), is the heart of the town. Many hotels, restaurants, grocery stores and pharmacies are found alongside this road. In 1998, the road was renamed after nineteenth century Rapanui king
Atamu Te Kena
Atamu Tekena or Atamu te Kena, full name Atamu Maurata Te Kena ʻAo Tahi (c. 1850 – August 1892) was the penultimate ‘ Ariki or King of Rapa Nui (i.e. Easter Island) from 1883 until his death. He was appointed as the ruler in 1883 by the F ...
; it had previously been named after Captain
Policarpo Toro
Policarpo Toro Hurtado (born in Melipilla, Chile on February 6, 1851 – died 1921 in Santiago, Chile) was a Chilean naval officer.
He enlisted in the Chilean Navy in 1871 and visited Easter Island in 1875. From 1877 to 1879, he joined the Engl ...
, the Chilean Naval officer who annexed Easter Island to Chile in 1888. The island's museum, and also the
Roman Catholic "
Holy Cross Church", are located in the center of town. With the advent of the
Internet and the expansion of communication services by the Chilean government, many internet cafes and
automated teller machines (ATM) have appeared in recent years.
Population
In 1914, the population of Hanga Roa was just 250 and the rest of the island was inhabited by large populations of sheep.
It is estimated that 90% of the island's population live in Hanga Roa.
[Samai Haider]
Hanga Roa – Launching Pad for Visiting the Moai
''Thedailystar.net'', 17 August 2018 (accessed on 31 May 2019)
Economy
Tourism
The town has a number of hotels and guesthouses which cater for tourists who come to see the island's
World Heritage Sites, in particular the famous
moai statues. Hanga Roa and the surrounding area have a number of impressive moai, but there are larger ones elsewhere on the island. Total capacity is about 2,500 beds as of 2022, ranging from camping sites to luxury hotels, including
hotel Hanga Roa
Hotel Hanga Roa, also known as Hanga Roa Eco Village & Spa, as of 2020 branded as Nayara Hangaroa, is a hotel in Hanga Roa, Easter Island, overlooking the bay on the Avenue Pont. The hotel was used extensively in the 1994 film Rapa Nui.
In 1994, th ...
.
The
Ahu Tahai archaeological complex is within a walking distance from the city's center.
Every year, the city is home to the ''farandula'' cultural festival, a months-long event when the locals sculpt giant wooden statues. The celebration includes a habit where people get nude and bath in clay that covers their bodies.
Other activities
In addition to tourism, other businesses in Hanga Roa include fishing, farming and administration. Several Chilean government departments including the
Chilean Navy maintain a presence on the island.
The harbour has a shipping service to
ValparaÃso, Chile. In April 2018, the freighter ''Lago Icalma'', parked in the port of Hanga Roa, was struck by a barge. A fuel tank was ruptured, leaking diesel fuel in the waters of the port. The surrounding beaches were also blackened by the spread of the black liquid.
Infrastructure
Transportation
The island's only airport,
Mataveri International Airport, is served by
LATAM Airlines,
Chile's national carrier, which offers direct 5-hour flights from
Santiago and weekly flights from
Papeete
Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The Communes of France, commune of Papeete is located on the isl ...
. It is the only commercial carrier that regularly serves the island.
Health
A new hospital was opened in 2013, replacing an older one donated in the 70s by the
United States. The hospital has a capacity of 16 beds, and includes a
delivery ward
Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births globally ...
designed to also allow the practice of
folk medicine. It is the only healthcare facility on the island.
Education
Among several schools are the ''Colegio Lorenzo Baeza Vega'', which offers primary education with a focus on teaching traditional culture and
language, and ''Liceo Aldea Educativa'', which offers qualification in the areas of humanist studies, tourism and agriculture.
Sport
Hanga Roa has a multi-use stadium, the
Estadio de Hanga Roa
The Hanga Roa Stadium ( es, Estadio de Hanga Roa) is a football stadium in Hanga Roa, the of capital Easter Island, a territory of Chile. It is the home ground of the CF Rapa Nui, the Easter Island football team. The stadium holds about 1,000 ...
, which is the home ground of the
CF Rapa Nui
CF Rapa Nui is an association football team from Chile which represents the territory of Easter Island in association football. Their home games are played at the Estadio de Hanga Roa, which has a capacity of approximately 2,500 people.
Asociacià ...
, the
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team representing Easter Island.
Access to food
The regular consumer brands sold in grocery stores are expensive due to the costly and time-consuming trip required to import those products. Locals informally sell fish, meat and vegetables. The tuna
empanada is the city's favorite snack.
Gallery
See also
*
List of towns in Chile
References
External links
*
Hanga Roa map on isladepascua.travel
{{Authority control
Capitals of Chilean provinces
Communes of Chile
Geography of Easter Island
Port settlements in Chile
Populated places in Isla de Pascua Province
Populated places in Oceania
1888 establishments in Easter Island