Isla de Pascua (Easter Island; Rapa Nui) is a Chilean commune with a special regime, located within Isla de Pascua Province in ValparaÃÂso Region. It is the only commune in Isla de Pascua Province, comprising Easter Island and Isla Salas y Gómez. Its capital is Hanga Roa, located in the southwestern area of the main island, where most of the local population resides.
The municipality of Isla de Pascua is led by mayor Elizabeth Arévalo Pakarati, who is accompanied in the Municipal Council by:
With regard to public health, Hanga Roa Hospital is a healthcare facility that has operated on the island since 1917, originally as a medical outpost. Its current facilities were inaugurated in 2012.
In terms of public order and citizen security, the 6th Easter Island Police Station is a unit of the Carabineros of Chile, under the authority of ValparaÃÂso Prefecture No. 9. In addition, the Chilean Investigative Police (PolicÃÂa de Investigaciones de Chile, PDI) maintains a Criminal Investigation Brigade and is also responsible for immigration entry and exit controls for the island, given its status as a Special Territory.
The Easter Island Fire Department was founded on 16 August 1972 and consists of a single company that serves the entire municipal area.
The Santiago Katipare Pakarati Ranguitaki Reading Center (Centro Lector Santiago Katipare Pakarati Ranguitaki), founded on 26 April 2019, is a public library and cultural center of the municipality, which replaced the former Rapa Nui Municipal Library. In addition, the William Mulloy Library houses the personal bibliographic collection of the American anthropologist specializing in Rapa Nui studies.