Isla de Pascua (commune)

Isla de Pascua, also known as Easter Island or Rapa Nui, is a special area of Chile. It is a commune that is part of the Isla de Pascua Province in the Valparaíso Region. This place is unique because it is the only commune in its province.

The commune includes two main lands: Easter Island and Isla Salas y Gómez. The biggest town is called Hanga Roa, and it is found on the southwest side of Easter Island. Most people living in this area call Hanga Roa their home.

Local government

The town of Easter Island is led by a mayor named Elizabeth Arévalo Pakarati. She works with a group of council members, including Pedro Edmunds Paoa, Omar Alfonso Enrique Veriveri Durán, Moiko Jara Pate, Simon Pedro Riroroko Campos, Ivonne Nahoe Zamora, and Javiera Paricia Lira Hucke.

The main town is called Hanga Roa, and most people live there. Easter Island and a smaller nearby island called Isla Salas y Gómez are part of this area.

Public services

Hanga Roa Hospital has provided healthcare on Easter Island since 1917 and moved into new buildings in 2012. The island has its own police station, part of the Chilean Carabineros, and a special group that handles important cases and checks who comes and goes from the island.

The Easter Island Fire Department began in 1972 and serves the whole island with one team. There is also a public library and cultural center called the Santiago Katipare Pakarati Ranguitaki Reading Center, which opened in 2019. The William Mulloy Library holds books collected by an American expert on Easter Island studies.