The Rapanui or Rapa Nui ("Big Rapa") are the native Polynesian inhabitants of Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean (the island itself is also called Rapa Nui). Today, Rapanui people make up 60% of Easter Island's population. They speak the Rapa Nui language. At the 2002 census there were 3,304 island inhabitants - almost all living in the village of Hanga Roa on the sheltered west coast. Of the 2,378 Rapanui who live in the mainland of Chile, 50% live in the metropolitan area of Chile's capital, Santiago de Chile.
The Rapanui or Rapa Nui ("Big Rapa") are the native Polynesian inhabitants of Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean (the island itself is also called Rapa Nui). Today, Rapanui people make up 60% of Easter Island's population. They speak the Rapa Nui language. At the 2002 census there were 3,304 island inhabitants - almost all living in the village of Hanga Roa on the sheltered west coast. Of the 2,378 Rapanui who live in the mainland of Chile, 50% live in the metropolitan area of Chile's capital, Santiago de Chile.