Kon-Tiki

Kon-Tiki was the name given to a raft by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl in his 1947 expedition. It was named after the Inca sun god, Viracocha, for whom "Kon-Tiki" was said to be an old name. Kon-Tiki is also the name of the popular book which Heyerdahl wrote about his adventures.

Related Topics:
Norwegian - Thor Heyerdahl - 1947 - Inca - Sun god - Viracocha - Book

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Heyerdahl believed that people from South America could have settled Polynesia in the south Pacific in Pre-Columbian times. His aim in mounting the Kon-Tiki expedition was to show, by using only the materials and technologies available to them at the time, that there were no technical reasons to prevent them from having done so.

Related Topics:
South America - Polynesia - Pre-Columbian

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Heyerdahl and a small team went to Peru, where they used trees and other native materials to construct a balsawood raft said to be of native style. Accompanied by five companions, Heyerdahl sailed it for 101 days over 4,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean before smashing into the reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands on August 7, 1947. They had modern equipment such as radio and military expedition food, but found they could live off the fruits of the ocean, as the raft attracted lots of marine life.

Related Topics:
Peru - Balsa - Pacific Ocean - Reef - Raroia - Tuamotu Islands - August 7 - 1947

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The medium-length book Kon-Tiki was a best-seller, and a documentary motion picture of the expedition won an Academy Award in 1951.

Related Topics:
Motion picture - Academy Award - 1951

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A replica of Kon-Tiki is now on display in the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo.

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