Major human races. The main races within the species “Homo sapiens”

Humanity is currently represented by one species, Homo sapiens (Homo sapiens). However, this species is not uniform. It is polymorphic and consists of three large and many small transitional races - biological groups distinguished by small morphological characteristics. These characteristics include: hair type and color, skin color, eyes, shape of the nose, lips, face and head, proportions of the body and limbs.

Races emerged as a result of the settlement and geographic isolation of the ancestors of modern people in different natural and climatic conditions. Some racial characteristics are hereditary. They arose in the distant past under the direct influence of the environment and were adaptive in nature. The following large races are distinguished.

Negroid (Australo-Negroid or Equatorial) race characterized by dark skin color, curly or wavy hair, a wide and slightly protruding nose, thick lips and dark eyes. Before the era of colonization, it was common in Africa, Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Caucasian (Eurasian) race distinguished by light or dark skin, straight or wavy hair, good development of facial hair in men (beard and mustache), narrow protruding nose, thin lips. Representatives of this race are settled in Europe, North Africa, Western Asia and Northern India.

For Mongoloid (Asian-American) race characterized by dark or light skin, straight, often coarse hair, a flattened wide face with strongly prominent cheekbones, average width of lips and nose, noticeable development of the epicanthus (skin fold above the upper eyelid in the inner corner of the eye). Initially, this race inhabited Southeast, East, North and Central Asia, North and South America.

Although the large races differ markedly from each other in their complex of external characteristics, they are interconnected by a number of intermediate types that imperceptibly transform into one another.

As noted above, racial characteristics are hereditary, and, apparently, some of them in the past were of an adaptive nature. Thus, the dark skin of Negroids protected the body from bright sunlight; Air layers are created in curly hair that protect from heat. A wide nose and thick, swollen lips with a large surface of mucous membranes contribute to the rapid evaporation of moisture with high heat transfer. The light skin of Caucasians allows ultraviolet rays to pass through and thus promotes the synthesis of vitamin D, protecting a person from rickets. A narrow, protruding nose helps warm the inhaled air. Some features of the Mongoloids are the result of adaptation to the harsh, often dust storm-ridden climate of Central Asia.

The biological unity of human races is evidenced by:

  1. lack of genetic isolation and unlimited possibilities of crossings with the formation of fertile offspring;
  2. the equivalence of races in biological and psychological terms when they are at the same level of evolutionary development;
  3. the presence of transitional races between large races; combining the characteristics of two neighboring ones;
  4. Additional evidence is the localization of skin patterns such as arcs on the second finger (in apes - on the fifth); All representatives of races have the same pattern of hair arrangement on the head and other morphophysiological characteristics.

In modern humanity there are three main races: Caucasoid, Mongoloid and Negroid. These are large groups of people who differ in certain physical characteristics, such as facial features, skin, eye and hair color, and hair shape.

Each race is characterized by a unity of origin and formation in a certain territory.

The Caucasian race includes the indigenous populations of Europe, South Asia and North Africa. Caucasians are characterized by a narrow face, a strongly protruding nose, and soft hair. The skin color of northern Caucasians is light, while that of southern Caucasians is predominantly dark.

The Mongoloid race includes the indigenous population of Central and East Asia, Indonesia, and Siberia. Mongoloids are distinguished by a large, flat, wide face, eye shape, coarse straight hair, and dark skin color.

There are two branches of the Negroid race - African and Australian. The Negroid race is characterized by dark skin color, curly hair, dark eyes, a wide and flat nose.

Racial characteristics are hereditary, but at present they do not have significant significance for human life. Apparently, in the distant past, racial characteristics were useful for their owners: the dark skin of blacks and curly hair, creating an air layer around the head, protected the body from the effects of sunlight; the shape of the facial skeleton of the Mongoloids with a more extensive nasal cavity may be useful for warming cold air before it enters the lungs. In terms of mental abilities, i.e., abilities for cognition, creative and general labor activity, all races are the same. Differences in the level of culture are associated not with the biological characteristics of people of different races, but with the social conditions of the development of society.

The reactionary essence of racism. Initially, some scientists confused the level of social development with biological characteristics and tried to find transitional forms among modern peoples that connect humans with animals. These mistakes were used by racists who began to talk about the alleged inferiority of some races and peoples and the superiority of others in order to justify the merciless exploitation and direct destruction of many peoples as a result of colonization, the seizure of foreign lands and the outbreak of wars. When European and American capitalism tried to conquer the African and Asian peoples, the white race was declared superior. Later, when Hitler’s hordes marched across Europe, destroying the captured population in death camps, the so-called Aryan race, to which the Nazis included the German peoples, was declared superior. Racism is a reactionary ideology and policy aimed at justifying the exploitation of man by man.

The inconsistency of racism has been proven by the real science of race - racial studies. Racial studies studies the racial characteristics, origin, formation and history of human races. Evidence from race studies suggests that the differences between races are not sufficient to qualify the races as distinct biological species of humans. Mixing of races - miscegenation - occurred constantly, as a result of which intermediate types arose at the borders of the ranges of representatives of different races, smoothing out the differences between races.

Will races disappear? One of the important conditions for the formation of races is isolation. In Asia, Africa and Europe it still exists to some extent today. Meanwhile, newly settled regions such as North and South America can be compared to a cauldron in which all three racial groups are melted. Although public opinion in many countries does not support interracial marriage, there is little doubt that miscegenation is inevitable and will sooner or later lead to the formation of a hybrid population of people.

Humanity is currently represented by one species, Homo sapiens (Homo sapiens). However, this species is not uniform. It is polymorphic and consists of three large and many small transitional races - biological groups distinguished by small morphological characteristics. These characteristics include: hair type and color, skin color, eyes, shape of the nose, lips, face and head, proportions of the body and limbs.

Races emerged as a result of the settlement and geographic isolation of the ancestors of modern people in different natural and climatic conditions. Some racial characteristics are hereditary. They arose in the distant past under the direct influence of the environment and were adaptive in nature. The following large races are distinguished.

Negroid (Australo-Negroid or Equatorial) race characterized by dark skin color, curly or wavy hair, a wide and slightly protruding nose, thick lips and dark eyes. Before the era of colonization, it was common in Africa, Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Caucasian (Eurasian) race distinguished by light or dark skin, straight or wavy hair, good development of facial hair in men (beard and mustache), narrow protruding nose, thin lips. Representatives of this race are settled in Europe, North Africa, Western Asia and Northern India.

For Mongoloid (Asian-American) race characterized by dark or light skin, straight, often coarse hair, a flattened wide face with strongly prominent cheekbones, average width of lips and nose, noticeable development of the epicanthus (skin fold above the upper eyelid in the inner corner of the eye). Initially, this race inhabited Southeast, East, North and Central Asia, North and South America.

Although the large races differ markedly from each other in their complex of external characteristics, they are interconnected by a number of intermediate types that imperceptibly transform into one another.

As noted above, racial characteristics are hereditary, and, apparently, some of them in the past were of an adaptive nature. Thus, the dark skin of Negroids protected the body from bright sunlight; Air layers are created in curly hair that protect from heat. A wide nose and thick, swollen lips with a large surface of mucous membranes contribute to the rapid evaporation of moisture with high heat transfer. The light skin of Caucasians allows ultraviolet rays to pass through and thus promotes the synthesis of vitamin D, protecting a person from rickets. A narrow, protruding nose helps warm the inhaled air. Some features of the Mongoloids are the result of adaptation to the harsh, often dust storm-ridden climate of Central Asia.

The biological unity of human races is evidenced by:

  1. lack of genetic isolation and unlimited possibilities of crossings with the formation of fertile offspring;
  2. the equivalence of races in biological and psychological terms when they are at the same level of evolutionary development;
  3. the presence of transitional races between large races; combining the characteristics of two neighboring ones;
  4. Additional evidence is the localization of skin patterns such as arcs on the second finger (in apes - on the fifth); All representatives of races have the same pattern of hair arrangement on the head and other morphophysiological characteristics.

The current appearance of humanity is the result of the complex historical development of human groups and can be described by identifying special biological types - human races. It is assumed that their formation began to occur 30-40 thousand years ago, as a result of the settlement of people in new geographical areas. According to researchers, their first groups moved from the area of ​​modern Madagascar to South Asia, then Australia, and a little later to the Far East, Europe and America. This process gave rise to the original races from which all subsequent diversity of peoples arose. The article will consider what main races are distinguished within the species Homo sapiens (reasonable humans), their characteristics and features.

The meaning of race

To summarize the definitions of anthropologists, a race is a historically established set of people who have a common physical type (skin color, hair structure and color, skull shape, etc.), the origin of which is associated with a specific geographical area. At present, the relationship between race and area is not always clearly visible, but it certainly existed in the distant past.

The origins of the term "race" are uncertain, but there has been much debate in scientific circles over its use. In this regard, initially the term was ambiguous and conditional. There is an opinion that the word represents a modification of the Arabic lexeme ras - head or beginning. There is also good reason to believe that the term may be related to the Italian razza, which means "tribe". It is interesting that in its modern meaning this word is first found in the works of the French traveler and philosopher Francois Bernier. In 1684 he gives one of the first classifications of the main human races.

races

Attempts to put together a picture classifying human races were made by the ancient Egyptians. They identified four types of people according to their skin color: black, yellow, white and red. And for a long time this division of humanity persisted. The Frenchman Francois Bernier tried to give a scientific classification of the main types of races in the 17th century. But more complete and constructed systems appeared only in the twentieth century.

It is known that there is no generally accepted classification, and they are all quite arbitrary. But in the anthropological literature they most often refer to Y. Roginsky and M. Levin. They identified three large races, which in turn are divided into small ones: Caucasian (Eurasian), Mongoloid and Negro-Australoid (equatorial). When constructing this classification, scientists took into account the morphological similarity, geographical distribution of races and the time of their formation.

Characteristics of race

Classic racial characteristics are determined by a set of physical characteristics related to a person’s appearance and anatomy. The color and shape of the eyes, the shape of the nose and lips, the pigmentation of skin and hair, and the shape of the skull are the primary racial characteristics. There are also secondary features such as physique, height and proportions of the human body. But due to the fact that they are very changeable and depend on environmental conditions, they are not used in racial studies. Racial characteristics are not interconnected by one or another biological dependence, therefore they form numerous combinations. But it is precisely stable traits that make it possible to distinguish races of a large order (main), while small races are distinguished on the basis of more variable indicators.

Thus, the main characteristics of a race include morphological, anatomical and other characteristics that have a stable hereditary nature and are minimally subject to environmental influences.

Caucasian

Almost 45% of the world's population belongs to the Caucasian race. The geographical discoveries of America and Australia allowed it to spread throughout the world. However, its main core is concentrated within Europe, the African Mediterranean and southwest Asia.

In the Caucasian group, the following combination of characteristics is distinguished:

  • clearly profiled face;
  • pigmentation of hair, skin and eyes from the lightest to darkest shades;
  • straight or wavy soft hair;
  • medium or thin lips;
  • narrow nose, strongly or moderately protruding from the plane of the face;
  • the fold of the upper eyelid is poorly formed;
  • developed hair on the body;
  • large hands and feet.

The composition of the Caucasoid race is divided into two large branches - northern and southern. The northern branch is represented by Scandinavians, Icelanders, Irish, English, Finns and others. South - Spaniards, Italians, southern French, Portuguese, Iranians, Azerbaijanis and others. All the differences between them lie in the pigmentation of the eyes, skin and hair.

Mongoloid race

The formation of the Mongoloid group has not been fully studied. According to some assumptions, the nation was formed in the central part of Asia, in the Gobi Desert, which was distinguished by its harsh, sharply continental climate. As a result, representatives of this race of people generally have strong immunity and good adaptation to dramatic changes in climatic conditions.

Signs of the Mongoloid race:

  • brown or black eyes with a slanting and narrow cut;
  • drooping upper eyelids;
  • moderately widened nose and lips of medium size;
  • skin color from yellow to brown;
  • straight, coarse dark hair;
  • strongly prominent cheekbones;
  • poorly developed hair on the body.

The Mongoloid race is divided into two branches: northern Mongoloids (Kalmykia, Buryatia, Yakutia, Tuva) and southern peoples (Japan, inhabitants of the Korean Peninsula, South China). Ethnic Mongols can act as prominent representatives of the Mongoloid group.

The Equatorial (or Negro-Australoid) race is a large group of people that makes up 10% of humanity. It includes Negroid and Australoid groups, which mostly live in Oceania, Australia, tropical Africa and the regions of South and Southeast Asia.

Most researchers consider the specific characteristics of a race as the result of the development of a population in a hot and humid climate:

  • dark pigmentation of the skin, hair and eyes;
  • coarse, curly or wavy hair;
  • the nose is wide, slightly protruding;
  • thick lips with a significant mucous part;
  • prominent lower face.

The race is clearly divided into two trunks - the eastern (Pacific, Australian and Asian groups) and the western (African groups).

Minor races

The main races in which humanity has successfully imprinted itself on all continents of the earth, branching into a complex mosaic of people - small races (or races of the second order). Anthropologists identify from 30 to 50 such groups. The Caucasoid race consists of the following types: White Sea-Baltic, Atlanto-Baltic, Central European, Balkan-Caucasian (Pontozagros) and Indo-Mediterranean.

The Mongoloid group distinguishes: Far Eastern, South Asian, North Asian, Arctic and American types. It is worth noting that some classifications tend to consider the last of them as an independent large race. In today's Asia, the most dominant are the Far Eastern (Koreans, Japanese, Chinese) and South Asian (Javanese, Sunda, Malay) types.

The equatorial population is divided into six small groups: African Negroids are represented by the Negro, Central African and Bushman races, Oceanic Australoids - Veddoid, Melanesian and Australian (in some classifications it is put forward as the main race).

Mixed Races

In addition to second-order races, there are also mixed and transitional races. Presumably they were formed from ancient populations within the boundaries of climatic zones, through contact between representatives of different races, or appeared during long-distance migrations, when it was necessary to adapt to new conditions.

Thus, there are Euro-Mongoloid, Euro-Negroid and Euro-Mongol-Negroid subraces. For example, the laponoid group has characteristics of three main races: prognathism, prominent cheekbones, soft hair and others. The bearers of such characteristics are the Finno-Permian peoples. Or the Ural, which is represented by Caucasian and Mongoloid populations. She is characterized by the following dark straight hair, moderate skin pigmentation, brown eyes, and medium hair. Distributed mostly in Western Siberia.

  • Until the 20th century, representatives of the Negroid race were not found in Russia. During the period of cooperation with developing countries, about 70 thousand blacks remained living in the USSR.
  • Only one Caucasian race is capable of producing lactase throughout its life, which is involved in the digestion of milk. In other major races, this ability is observed only in infancy.
  • Genetic studies have determined that fair-skinned residents of the northern territories of Europe and Russia have about 47.5% of Mongolian genes and only 52.5% of European ones.
  • A large number of people who identify as pure African Americans have European ancestors. In turn, Europeans can discover Native Americans or Africans in their ancestors.
  • The DNA of all inhabitants of the planet, regardless of external differences (skin color, hair texture), is 99.9% the same, therefore, from the standpoint of genetic research, the existing concept of “race” loses its meaning.

The population of our planet is so diverse that one can only be surprised. What kind of nationalities and nationalities can you meet! Everyone has their own faith, customs, traditions, and orders. Its own beautiful and extraordinary culture. However, all these differences are formed only by people themselves in the process of social historical development. What lies behind the differences that appear externally? After all, we are all very different:

  • dark-skinned;
  • yellow-skinned;
  • white;
  • with different eye colors;
  • different heights and so on.

Obviously, the reasons are purely biological, independent of people themselves and formed over thousands of years of evolution. This is how modern human races were formed, which explain the visual diversity of human morphology theoretically. Let's take a closer look at what this term is, what its essence and meaning are.

The concept of "race of people"

What is race? This is not a nation, not a people, not a culture. These concepts should not be confused. After all, representatives of different nationalities and cultures can freely belong to the same race. Therefore, the definition can be given as given by the science of biology.

Human races are a set of external morphological characteristics, that is, those that are the phenotype of a representative. They were formed under the influence of external conditions, the influence of a complex of biotic and abiotic factors, and were fixed in the genotype during evolutionary processes. Thus, the characteristics that underlie the division of people into races include:

  • height;
  • skin and eye color;
  • hair structure and shape;
  • hair growth of the skin;
  • structural features of the face and its parts.

All those signs of Homo sapiens as a biological species that lead to the formation of a person’s external appearance, but do not in any way affect his personal, spiritual and social qualities and manifestations, as well as the level of self-development and self-education.

People of different races have completely identical biological springboards for the development of certain abilities. Their general karyotype is the same:

  • women - 46 chromosomes, that is, 23 XX pairs;
  • men - 46 chromosomes, 22 pairs XX, 23 pairs - XY.

This means that all representatives of Homo sapiens are one and the same, among them there are no more or less developed, superior to others, or higher. From a scientific point of view, everyone is equal.

The species of human races, formed over approximately 80 thousand years, have adaptive significance. It has been proven that each of them was formed with the aim of providing a person with the opportunity for a normal existence in a given habitat and facilitating adaptation to climatic, relief and other conditions. There is a classification showing which races of Homo sapiens existed before, and which ones exist today.

Classification of races

She's not alone. The thing is that until the 20th century it was customary to distinguish 4 races of people. These were the following varieties:

  • Caucasian;
  • Australoid;
  • Negroid;
  • Mongoloid.

For each, detailed characteristic features were described by which any individual of the human species could be identified. However, later a classification became widespread that included only 3 human races. This became possible due to the unification of the Australoid and Negroid groups into one.

Therefore, the modern types of human races are as follows.

  1. Large: Caucasoid (European), Mongoloid (Asian-American), Equatorial (Australian-Negroid).
  2. Small: many different branches that formed from one of the large races.

Each of them is characterized by its own characteristics, signs, external manifestations in the appearance of people. All of them are considered by anthropologists, and the science itself that studies this issue is biology. Human races have interested people since ancient times. After all, completely contrasting external features often became the cause of racial strife and conflicts.

Genetic research in recent years allows us to again talk about the division of the equatorial group into two. Let's consider all 4 races of people who stood out earlier and became relevant again recently. Let us note the signs and features.

Australoid race

Typical representatives of this group include the indigenous inhabitants of Australia, Melanesia, Southeast Asia, and India. The name of this race is also Australo-Veddoid or Australo-Melanesian. All synonyms make it clear which small races are included in this group. They are as follows:

  • Australoids;
  • Veddoids;
  • Melanesians.

In general, the characteristics of each group presented do not vary too much among themselves. There are several main features that characterize all small races of people of the Australoid group.

  1. Dolichocephaly is an elongated shape of the skull in relation to the proportions of the rest of the body.
  2. Deep-set eyes, wide slits. The color of the iris is predominantly dark, sometimes almost black.
  3. The nose is wide, with a pronounced flat bridge.
  4. The hair on the body is very well developed.
  5. The hair on the head is dark in color (sometimes among Australians there are natural blondes, which was the result of a natural genetic mutation of the species that once took hold). Their structure is rigid, they can be curly or slightly curly.
  6. People are of average height, often above average.
  7. The physique is thin and elongated.

Within the Australoid group, people of different races differ from each other, sometimes quite strongly. So, a native Australian may be tall, blond, of a dense build, with straight hair and light brown eyes. At the same time, a native of Melanesia will be a thin, short, dark-skinned representative with curly black hair and almost black eyes.

Therefore, the general characteristics described above for the entire race are only an averaged version of their combined analysis. Naturally, crossbreeding also occurs - the mixing of different groups as a result of natural crossing of species. That is why it is sometimes very difficult to identify a specific representative and attribute him to one or another small or large race.

Negroid race

The people who make up this group are the settlers of the following areas:

  • Eastern, Central and Southern Africa;
  • part of Brazil;
  • some peoples of the USA;
  • representatives of the West Indies.

In general, such races of people as Australoids and Negroids used to be united in the equatorial group. However, research in the 21st century has proven the inconsistency of this order. After all, the differences in the manifested characteristics between the designated races are too great. And some similar features are explained very simply. After all, the habitats of these individuals are very similar in terms of living conditions, and therefore the adaptations in appearance are also similar.

So, the following signs are characteristic of representatives of the Negroid race.

  1. Very dark, sometimes bluish-black, skin color, as it is especially rich in melanin content.
  2. Wide eye shape. They are large, dark brown, almost black.
  3. The hair is dark, curly, and coarse.
  4. Height varies, often low.
  5. The limbs are very long, especially the arms.
  6. The nose is wide and flat, the lips are very thick and fleshy.
  7. The jaw lacks a chin protrusion and protrudes forward.
  8. The ears are large.
  9. Facial hair is poorly developed, and there is no beard or mustache.

Negroids are easy to distinguish from others by their external appearance. Below are the different races of people. The photo reflects how clearly Negroids differ from Europeans and Mongoloids.

Mongoloid race

Representatives of this group are characterized by special features that allow them to adapt to rather difficult external conditions: desert sands and winds, blinding snow drifts, etc.

Mongoloids are the indigenous people of Asia and much of America. Their characteristic signs are as follows.

  1. Narrow or oblique eye shape.
  2. The presence of an epicanthus - a specialized fold of skin aimed at covering the inner corner of the eye.
  3. The color of the iris is from light to dark brown.
  4. distinguished by brachycephaly (short head).
  5. The superciliary ridges are thickened and strongly protruding.
  6. Sharp, high cheekbones are well defined.
  7. Facial hair is poorly developed.
  8. The hair on the head is coarse, dark in color, and has a straight structure.
  9. The nose is not wide, the bridge is located low.
  10. Lips of different thicknesses, often narrow.
  11. Skin color varies among different representatives from yellow to dark, and there are also light-skinned people.

It should be noted that another characteristic feature is short stature, both in men and women. It is the Mongoloid group that predominates in numbers when comparing the main races of people. They populated almost all climatographic zones of the Earth. Close to them in terms of quantitative characteristics are Caucasians, whom we will consider below.

Caucasian

First of all, let’s designate the predominant habitats of people from this group. This:

  • Europe.
  • North Africa.
  • Western Asia.

Thus, the representatives unite two main parts of the world - Europe and Asia. Since living conditions were also very different, the general characteristics are again an average option after analyzing all the indicators. Thus, the following appearance features can be distinguished.

  1. Mesocephaly - medium-headedness in the structure of the skull.
  2. Horizontal eye shape, lack of pronounced brow ridges.
  3. A protruding narrow nose.
  4. Lips of varying thickness, usually medium in size.
  5. Soft curly or straight hair. There are blondes, brunettes, and brown-haired people.
  6. Eye color ranges from light blue to brown.
  7. Skin color also varies from pale, white to dark.
  8. The hairline is very well developed, especially on the chest and face of men.
  9. The jaws are orthognathic, that is, slightly pushed forward.

In general, a European is easy to distinguish from others. Appearance allows you to do this almost without error, even without using additional genetic data.

If you look at all the races of people, the photos of whose representatives are located below, the difference becomes obvious. However, sometimes the characteristics are mixed so deeply that identifying an individual becomes almost impossible. He is able to relate to two races at once. This is further aggravated by intraspecific mutation, which leads to the appearance of new characteristics.

For example, albinos Negroids are a special case of the appearance of blondes in the Negroid race. A genetic mutation that disrupts the integrity of racial characteristics in a given group.

Origin of the races of man

Where did such a variety of signs of people’s appearance come from? There are two main hypotheses that explain the origin of human races. This:

  • monocentrism;
  • polycentrism.

However, none of them has yet become an officially accepted theory. According to the monocentric point of view, initially, about 80 thousand years ago, all people lived in the same territory, and therefore their appearance was approximately the same. However, over time, growing numbers led to a wider spread of people. As a result, some groups found themselves in difficult climatographic conditions.

This led to the development and consolidation at the genetic level of some morphological adaptations that help in survival. For example, dark skin and curly hair provide thermoregulation and a cooling effect for the head and body in Negroids. And the narrow shape of the eyes protects them from sand and dust, as well as from being blinded by white snow among Mongoloids. The developed hair of Europeans is a unique way of thermal insulation in harsh winter conditions.

Another hypothesis is called polycentrism. She says that different types of human races descended from several ancestral groups that were unequally distributed around the globe. That is, there were initially several foci from which the development and consolidation of racial characteristics began. Again influenced by climatographic conditions.

That is, the process of evolution proceeded linearly, simultaneously affecting aspects of life on different continents. This is how the formation of modern types of people from several phylogenetic lines took place. However, it is not possible to say for certain about the validity of this or that hypothesis, since there is no evidence of a biological and genetic nature, or at the molecular level.

Modern classification

The races of people, according to current scientists, have the following classification. There are two trunks, and each of them has three large races and many small ones. It looks something like this.

1. Western trunk. Includes three races:

  • Caucasians;
  • capoids;
  • Negroids.

The main groups of Caucasians: Nordic, Alpine, Dinaric, Mediterranean, Falsky, East Baltic and others.

Small races of capoids: Bushmen and Khoisan. They inhabit South Africa. In terms of the fold above the eyelid, they are similar to the Mongoloids, but in other characteristics they differ sharply from them. The skin is not elastic, which is why all representatives are characterized by the appearance of early wrinkles.

Groups of Negroids: pygmies, nilots, blacks. All of them are settlers from different parts of Africa, so their appearance is similar. Very dark eyes, same skin and hair. Thick lips and lack of chin protuberance.

2. Eastern trunk. Includes the following large races:

  • Australoids;
  • Americanoids;
  • Mongoloids.

Mongoloids are divided into two groups - northern and southern. These are the indigenous inhabitants of the Gobi Desert, which left its mark on the appearance of these people.

Americanoids are the population of North and South America. They are very tall and often have an epicanthus, especially in children. However, the eyes are not as narrow as those of the Mongoloids. They combine the characteristics of several races.

Australoids consist of several groups:

  • Melanesians;
  • Veddoids;
  • Ainians;
  • Polynesians;
  • Australians.

Their characteristic features were discussed above.

Minor races

This concept is a rather highly specialized term that allows you to identify any person to any race. After all, each large one is divided into many small ones, and they are compiled on the basis of not only small external distinctive features, but also include data from genetic studies, clinical tests, and facts of molecular biology.

Therefore, small races are what make it possible to more accurately reflect the position of each specific individual in the system of the organic world, and specifically, within the species Homo sapiens sapiens. What specific groups exist was discussed above.

Racism

As we have found out, there are different races of people. Their signs can be very polar. This is what gave rise to the theory of racism. It says that one race is superior to another, since it consists of more highly organized and perfect beings. At one time, this led to the emergence of slaves and their white masters.

However, from a scientific point of view, this theory is completely absurd and untenable. The genetic predisposition to the development of certain skills and abilities is the same among all peoples. Proof that all races are biologically equal is the possibility of free interbreeding between them while maintaining the health and vitality of the offspring.