Easter Island, with an area of only 64 square miles, lies in the Pacific Ocean more than 2,000 miles west of the nearest continent (South America),
and 1,400 miles from the nearest habitable is land.
Its subtropical location gives it rather mild climate,
while its volcanic origins make its soil rich and fertile.
In theory,
these blessings should have made Easter a miniature paradise,
remote from problems that beset the rest of the world.