2024 satellite survey of rock gardens revises Easter Island population downward. Rapa Nui farmers used rock gardens, spreading broken volcanic rock to hold moisture and shelter plants In 2024, satellite imagery and machine learning were used to measure total rock garden coverage All rock gardens on the island together cover about 3/4 of a square kilometer
Rapa Nui farmers spread broken volcanic rock to build gardens that held moisture and sheltered plants. A 2024 study used satellite imagery and machine learning to measure all rock gardens on the island, finding they total about 3/4 of a square kilometer, roughly a fifth of earlier farmland estimates. This suggests a peak population of only 3,000–4,000 people, close to the ~3,000 Roggeveen's crew counted when they arrived in 1722.
Key Facts
- Rapa Nui farmers used rock gardens, spreading broken volcanic rock to hold moisture and shelter plants
- In 2024, satellite imagery and machine learning were used to measure total rock garden coverage
- All rock gardens on the island together cover about 3/4 of a square kilometer
- This is roughly a fifth of earlier careful estimates of farmland
- Best population estimate based on farmland is around 3,000 to 4,000 people
- When Roggeveen's ships arrived in 1722, they counted roughly 3,000 inhabitants
- Older estimates of 15,000 to 30,000 people are now considered inflated
Related site: Easter Island — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: Something Was Very Wrong With Easter Island by Michael Button