Discovered by the Dutch in 1722, Easter Island was first named Paaseiland (translated as "Easter Island") and was taken over by Chile in 1888. The island has a total area of 163,6 km2 (63,2 mi2) and population around 6,600. The nearest inhabited land is Pitcairn Island, at approx 2075 km (1290 mi) to the west. The nearest town is Rikitea (on Mangareva Island, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia, p..