2018-09-18 Tue

Easter Island (Rapa Nui: Rapa Nui, Spanish: Isla de Pascua) is a Chilean island in the south eastern Pacific Ocean, at the south-eastern most point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. Easter Island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called Moai, 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.

Easter Island is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world and is considered part of Insular Chile. Today, the island belongs to Chile, hence this country's currency — the Chilean peso — circulates in the Easter Islands. However, the island had issued in 2008 and banknotes in 2012. They were called rongo (the name comes from rongorongo, a form of pictographs used on the island).

Today we are discussing a 500 Rongo banknote issued in the year 2011. The note specifications are as follows:

The obverse depicts a portrait of a native Rapanui man with a face tattoo on the background of the Outer slopes of Rano Raraku volcanic crater and quarry with the famous monolithic sculptures called Moai, some buried to their shoulders and neck. Some RongoRongo symbol script is also seen depicted in the background.

The reverse depicts Moto Nui, Island of the Birdman cult, seen from the Orongo village with Birdman petroglyphs and MakeMake god with the background of the Sea cliff of Rano Kau volcano at Orongo, Woodcarving of Tangata manu (bird-man) and a Native Rapanui man with a face tattoo with the RongoRongo symbol script.

Isn’t it a beautiful note to behold?

Image Courtesy: www.miralot.com