MAJOR RACIAL GROUPS OF THE WORLD

Synopsis
Subject : Anthropology
Duration :

The world populations is broadly classified and categorised into three major racial groups such as – the
Caucasoid, the Negroids and the Mongoloids. Such classifications are based on anthropometric characters
or measurements such as skin colour, stature, hair colour, face, nose and head form etc. The main purpose
of classifying world population into different groups is mainly for studying and understanding the
population. It is nothing to do with superiority or inferiority of one group to another. We human beings
belong to only one human species. The concept of race was discarded in 1962 as per the UNESCO
statement on race and the term race was replaced by “ethnic group”. The classification into great three
races has its historical importance but at present, it is only a foundation of the study of people of the world.
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Objectives :
The objectives of this module are:-
1. to provide information to the students regarding the different population groups that reside around the
world.
2. to differentiate people of the world into separate groups and termed them as Races on the basis of
certain morphological features.
3. to provide information about the three main groups - the Caucasoid, Mongoloid and Negroid.

MAJOR RACIAL GROUPS OF THE WORLD

Introduction
Attempts have been made to classify humans since 17th century, when scholars first began to separate types
of flora and fauna. From the mid of 18th century, the term race was used to classify Homo sapiens by
Buffon (Physical anthropologist). The term race is also used to define categorization of human, a social
construct used to classify human beings by phenotype, ancestry, or ethnicity. The concept of race is
regarded as a classificatory device to provide a frame within which the different population groups may
systematically be arranged. E.A. Hooton (1926, U.S. Physical anthropologist) has defined race as “a great
division of mankind, the members of which, though individually varying, are characterized as a group by a
certain combination of morphological and metrical features, principally non-adaptive, which have been
derived from their common descent”. In general, a race is believed to possess a distinctive combination of
physical traits which it acquires as a result of inheritance.
Major Racial groups
All living individuals can be broadly classified into different groups based on various anthropometric
measurements. Anthropologists divide the mankind into three principal or major racial types on the basis of
relative commonness of physical and biological characteristics. Such characteristics are known as racial
criteria. Perhaps, the first categorization of world population was based on the skin colour. Johann
Friedrich Blumenbach, father of Physical Anthropology, was the first to divide humanity according to skin
colour. Individuals with light or close to white are known as white peoples. The black race was the people
whose skin colours were either black or dark brown whereas, people with yellowish skin colour are
collectively known as Yellow race. There are many other criteria used in classification of the racial groups
of the world such as stature, head form, nose form, hair, blood group, dermatoglyphics etc. Based on these
racial criteria, E.A. Hooton (1931) recognized three primary races –the Caucasoid, the Negroid and the
Mongoloid. These major races were termed as The Three Great Races of the World. They have again been
subdivided into a number of sub-races. The major races are differentiated by early geographical and genetic
isolation, by loss of some gene or genes, which is actually exchanging or capable of exchanging genes
across whatever boundaries separate it from other populations of the species. We can say that races are
usually associated with particular geographic areas. Some anthropologists like to introduce Australoid as a
separate major racial group because of their peculiarity in physical characters. But, it is belief that
Australoids are formed by admixture of Caucasoid and Negroid racial elements.
Formation of race is a complex process in which more than one factor is involved. Some of the important
factors responsible for formation of races include mutation, natural selection, migration, isolation,
hybridization, sexual selection, and social selection.
Physical Features of the Major Races
(i) Caucasoid
The Caucasoids are represented by wide range of skin colour variation including white, different shades of
brown and sometimes dark brown. Hair form is variable from flat wavy to different degrees of curliness
(usually wavy hair). Hair colour is generally light blond to dark brown and texture ranges from medium to
fine. Quantity of body and facial hair is usually moderate to abundant. Form of head ranges from
dolichocephalic to brachycephalic. Nose form varies between leptorrhine to mesorrhine with generally high
nasal bridge. The Caucasoid face shows no facial prognathism and the cheek bones are not prominent. The
colour of the eyes is light blue to dark brown. Stature is usually tall.
The Caucasoid racial group includes a large number of sub-races or groups such as –Mediterranean,
Nordic, Alpine, East Baltic, Dinaric, Armenoid, Keltic, Lapp, Indo-Dravidian, Polynesian and Ainu. The
Mediterranean is assumed as the oldest racial element of Caucasoid. The people of this group are named
after their original habitat – Mediterranean Shore. They are further classified into classical Mediterranean,
Atlanto Mediterranean and Indo-Afghan.
(ii) Negroid
The Negroids head hair is woolly or frizzly; the colour of hair is black. The skin colour is dark brown
black, sometimes yellowish-brown in certain groups. The nose is broad and flat, bridge and root are usually
low and broad. The eyes are dark brown to black in colour; the lips are thick and averted, and small ears
with no lobe. The facial prognathism is often marked. The head is predominantly long with protruding
occipital and rounded head. Eyebrow ridges are small. The Negroids are divided into two sub-groups such
as African Negro and Oceanic Negro. Some anthropologists include another group the American Negro
into the Negroid racial element.
(iii) Mongoloid
The Mongoloids physical features have been characterized by having yellowish brown skin colour with
straight hair. The body and facial hair is scanty. The head is usually brachycephalic with broad and flat
prominent cheek bones. The nasal root is low as well as nasal bridge is low to medium. Eye is obliquely set
with narrow slit-like opening. Epicanthic fold, specific to mongoloid population is present. They have
medium to tall stature. The Mongoloid can be further divided into four main subdivisions on the basis of
their geographical distribution such as – Classical or Central Mongoloid, The Arctic or Eskimoids, Indo-
Malayan Mongoloids and The American Indians.
(iv) Australoid
The Australoid are found to possess some primitive features that denote the survivals of some early
Caucasoid varieties. This is the reason for which these people are considered as a sub-division of the
Caucasoid Racial stock. The Australoids are characterized by the presence of physical features such as dark
brown to nearly black skin colour, wavy to curly black hair, dolichocephalic head, platyrrhine nose, short
and narrow face, moderate prognathism; prominent eye brow ridges; dark brown eye colour; thick lips and
generally with short stature. The Australoids are classified into two main groups such as –Australian
aborigines and Pre-Dravidian (Australoid).
Distribution of Major Races in the World population
The Caucasoid features are mainly distributed among the Europeans and their descendants. They are also
observed in North Africa and the Middle East to North India.
The Mongoloid features are predominantly found in the peoples of Asia, Indonesia and Americas. The
inhabitants of China Mongolia, Tibet, North America, Siberia, Greenland, Burma, Thailand, Malay
Peninsula, Philippines, Japan and North-East India showed presence of Mongoloid racial elements. Indians
of North and South America also exhibit some Mongoloid characteristics.
The Negroid features are restricted among the populations of Africa and Melanesia. A few people in
America are also found to exhibit some Negroid physical features because they are the descendants of
African people who were once taken to America as workers. To the Negroid race belong the peoples of
Africa, the Pygmy groups of Indonesia, and the inhabitants of New Guinea and Melanesia. The Australoid
are predominantly found in Australia and Oceania. Some of the population group of India particularly
South and Central India showed Australoid racial elements.
Racial elements of India
In India, the range of somatic variations in different physical traits of its people is remarkably wide. So
many classifications on the people of India have been reported by several anthropologists. The credit of
classifying Indian people, on the scientific basis of Anthropometric measurements, goes to Sir Herbert
Risley. Risley recognized three principal racial types in India viz the Dravidian, the Indo-Aryan and the
Mongoloid, who also mixed in varying degrees in the different provinces with each other resulting in
varying racial complexion of the people.
The Australoids are considered to be the autochthonous people of India. They are often known as pre-
Dravidian or Proto-Australoid by different scholars. They have short stature, dolichocephalic, platyrrhine,
dark brown skin colour, wavy/curly hair, prominent supraorbital ridges with slightly retreating forehead.
They are observed sporadically throughout the length and breadth of the country. Their physical features
are closely akin to modern aborigines of Chota Nagpur, Central India and the primitive tribes of South
India. They are original inhabitants, the so called ‘Adi-basis’ of India. This racial element is also present
among the lower caste groups.
The Mongoloids are mainly present in the northern and north eastern zones of the Himalayan ranges,
valleys and eastern frontiers. The Negrito elements are also observed among the tribes of Andaman Islands.
They showed a number of morphological characters similar to those of Pygmies and Bushmen of Africa.
Conclusion
In brief, race is a geographically isolated subdivision of a species. The world populations is broadly
classified and categorised into three major racial groups such as – the Caucasoid, the Negroids and the
Mongoloids. Such classifications are based on anthropometric characters or measurements such as skin
colour, stature, hair colour, face, nose and head form etc. Skin colour is one of the important racial criteria
used in classification of race into different racial elements. All major racial elements of the world are found
in India represented by different tribal and caste populations settled in different geographical regions. The
main purpose of classifying world population into different groups is mainly for studying and
understanding the population. It is nothing to do with superiority or inferiority of one group to another. We
human beings belong to only one human species.
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Summary
The original Differentiation of the three major races of the world, the Negroids, the Caucasoids, and the
Mongoloids was made on the basis of the skin color, i.e. black, white, and yellow for the Negros, the
Caucasoids and the Mongoloids respectively. Other morphological features like, stature, hair colour, hair
form, fold of the eye, etc. were also considered for this purpose. But it is not appropriate to classify people
of the world into into three categories, Caucasoid, Mongoloid and Negroid. There are many varieties,
which do not fall directly under any one of these categories. Therefore, the boundaries need to be
broadened. The concept of race was discarded in 1962 as per the UNESCO statement on race and the term
race was replaced by “ethnic group”. The classification into great three races has its historical importance
but at present, it is only a foundation of the study of people of the world.
Glossary
1. Ethnic group : It pertains to people who hail from the same stock.
2. Aborigines : The original inhabitants of a country.
3. Caucasoids : It refers to people with fair skin colour and sharp features.
4. Alpines : It is a sub-division of Caucasoids who inhabit the areas close to Alps Mountain.
5. Negroids : It refers to people with dark brown to black skin colour with peppercorn type hair and
very broad nose with puffy or thick lips.
6. Mongoloids : It refers to people with yellowish skin colour and epicanthic eye fold.
7. Racial intermixture : It is an outcome of intermarriage between different Racial groups, (eg.
American Negro).
8. Dolichocephalic : It refers to long head with cephalic index value between 70 to 76
9. Mesocephalic : It refers to medium sized head with cephalic index value between 76 to 81.
10. Brachycephalic : It refers to broad head with cephalic index value in between 81 to 85.5
FAQs
1. Define the term Race.
Ans: Race is define as a great division of mankind, the members of which, though individually varying, are
characterized as a group by a certain combination of morphological and metrical features, principally
non-adaptive, which have been derived from their common descent.
2. What is meant by racial classification?
Ans: It is a system based on certain morphological features that helps indiscriminating people of the world
into certain categories.
3. Who are the primary races of the world?
Ans: Primary races of the world are Caucasoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid.
4. Why skin colour is important to classify racial groups?
Ans: Skin colour is an important morphological feature because it apparently distinguishes one category of
people from that of the other.
5. Why Stature is used as an important characteristic for racial classification?
Ans: Because, stature is a character that ranges from a very short to very tall and accordingly different
ranges have been formulated which show a strong relationship with the people of different
geographical areas.
6. What is the role of cephalic index in racial classification?
Ans: Cephalic Index is obtained as a ratio between head length and head breadth. Based on the index value
different categories have been formulated, like dolicocephalic, mesocephalic and brachycephalic.
7. Who are the Caucasoids?
Ans: The Caucasoids are represented by wide range of skin colour variation including white, different
shades of brown and sometimes dark brown.
8. Which racial element is predominantly concentrated in Africa?
Ans: The Negroid racial element is predominantly concentrated in Africa.
9. Why Australoids are considered as a sub-division of the Caucasoid Racial stock?
Ans: Because, Austraolids are found to possess some primitive features that denote the survivals of some
early Caucasoid varieties such as wavy to curly black hair, dolichocephalic head, platyrrhine nose,
short and narrow face.
10. What are the important factors responsible for formation of races?
Ans: Some of the important factors responsible for formation of races include mutation, natural selection,
migration, isolation, hybridization, sexual selection, and social selection.
Quiz
1. Who recognized the three primary races of the world?
(a) B.S. Guha
(b) A.C. Haddon
(c) E.A. Hooton
Ans: (c) E.A. Hooton
2. Which racial element is considered as the autochthonous people of India?
 (a) Australoid
(b) Mongoloid
(c) Caucasoid
Ans: (a) Australoid
3. Which racial element is predominantly concentrated in European countries?
(a) Australoid
(b) Mongoloid
(c) Caucasoid
Ans: (c) Caucasoid
4. Which racial element is considered as the oldest racial element of Caucasoid?
(a) Alpine
(b) Mediterranean
(c) Armenoid
Ans: (b) Mediterranean
5. Presence of facial prognathism is important characteristic of ________
(a) Australoid
(b) Mongoloid
(c) Negroid
Ans: (c) Negroid

Assignment
1. Who are Mongoloids? Describe their morphological features and give their geographical distribution.
2. Describe the morphological features of Negroids and explain how they are different from Mongoloids.
3. What racial criteria you would employ to describe the Caucasoids?

References
1. Baker, John R. (1974). Race. Oxford University Press: London & New York
2. Brace, L.L.(2005).Race is a four letter word: Oxford University Press, London & New York.
3. Kall A.K. 1994. The Ethnology of India: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.
4. Molnor, S (1992) Human variation: Race types and ethnic groups, Prentice Hall. Englewood Cliffs.
N.J.
5. Montagu, A. (1997) Man’s most dangerous myth: The fallacy of race. Altamira Press.

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