World Heritage Day  18 Apr 2026

Today, on World Heritage Day, attention turns to places that tell humanity"s shared story—protected for their exceptional cultural or natural value. One of them rises from volcanic stone on Easter Island, Chile. At Rano Raraku, the slopes of an extinct volcano became the workshop where nearly all of the island"s famous moai were carved. The image captures this remarkable quarry, where half-finished figures emerge from the rock, frozen mid-creation.

© Gavin Hellier/Alamy

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