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European ethnic groups
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Everything about European Ethnic Groups totally explained » This article deals with the European people as an ethnic group or ethnic groups. For information about residents or nationals of Europe, see Demography of Europe. For information on other uses please see disambiguation page: European
The European peoples are the various nations and ethnic groups of Europe.
European Ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe.
Ethnic groups of Europe » see
Of the total population of Europe of some 730 million (as of 2005), some 85% or 630 million fall within three large ethno-linguistic super-groups, viz., Slavic, Latin (Romance) and Germanic. The largest groups that don't fall within either of these are the Greeks and the Hungarians (about 13 million each). About 20-25 million residents are members of diasporas of non-European origin. The population of the European Union with some 500 million accounts for two thirds of European population.
The largest ethnic group of Europe are probably the Russians with some 90 million settling in the European parts of Russia, followed by the Germans (76 million), Italians (58 million), French (49 million), English (45 million), Spanish (42 million), Ukrainians (40 million) and the Poles (38 million).
Finno-Ugric peoples (approx. 23 million)
Basques (approx. 2.5 million)
Maltese (approx. 400,000)
Kalmyks (approx. 170,000)
Depending on what parts of the Caucasus are considered part of Europe, various peoples of the Caucasus may also be considered "European peoples":
Armenians: approx. 4.5 million
Georgians: approx. 4 million
Chechens: approx. 2 million
Ossetians: approx. 600,000
"Indigenous" minorities
Since most of Europe in historical times was never colonized by non-European powers with lasting effect (arguably except for Hungary, Turkish Thrace, Tatarstan, Kalmykia and islands such as Malta or Cyprus), the vast majority of Europeans can be considered "indigenous". In a more narrow sense of "indigenous peoples", ethnic minorities marginalized by historical expansion of their neighbour populations, the following groups can be considered "indigenous peoples" of Europe:
the northern indigenous peoples of Russia, marginalized by Russian expansion, mostly Finno-Ugric peoples such as the Komi peoples of the western Urals, and Samoyedic peoples of the northern Russian Federation such as the Nenets.
the Sami of northern Scandinavia (marginalized by Finnish and North Germanic expansion)
the Basque people of France and Spain (marginalized by Latin/Western Romance expansion)
Physical appearance and genetic origins
The vast majority of Europeans are of the "Caucasoid" (White) typological race, most characterized by lightly pigmented skin and variability in eye and hair colour, although typological division into races has now largely been discredited.
There has been human habitation in Europe for over a million years,
but human remains with a recognisably modern anatomy have only been dated back to 40,000 years ago, with the Cro magnon settlement. Over the prehistoric period there was continual immigration to Europe, notably with the neolithic revolution. It is probable that the origins of Cro Magnon man can be traced back ultimately to ancestors in East Africa.
European diasporas
Nations and regions outside of Europe with significant populations of European ancestry :
Africa (see Whites in Africa)
Asia
The Middle East
North America, including Central America and the Caribbean
South America (see White Latin Americans)
Oceania (see Europeans in Oceania)
National diasporas:
Diasporas in Europe
Populations of non-European origin in Europe (approx. 25 - 30+ million, or approx. 3% to 4% [dependingon definition of non-European origin], out of a total population of approx. 730 million):
Middle East
Africa
- North Africans (Arabs and Berbers): approx. 5 million, mostly in France, the Netherlands and Sweden
- Horn Africans: approx. 200,000 Somalis, mostly in the Netherlands, Scandinavia and the UK
- Sub-Saharan Africans (many ethnicities including Afro-Caribbeans and others by descent): approx. 5 million, mostly in the UK, France, the Netherlands and Germany
Latin Americans (mainly Mestizos): approx. 2.2 million, with the largest groups in Spain and Italy
- Plus Latin American Britons number around 1 million and are of European, African, Native South American and many other races
South Asians (many ethnicities): approx. 3 million, mostly in the UK
East Asia
- Chinese: approx. 1 million, mostly in France, the UK and the Netherlands
- Filipinos: approx. 500,000, mostly in the UK, France, Germany and Italy
- Japanese: ca. 100,000, mostly in the UK
European identity and culture
The culture of Europe might better be described as a series of overlapping cultures. Whether it's a question of West as opposed to East; Christianity as opposed to Islam; many have claimed to identify cultural fault lines across the continent.
European culture also has a broad influence beyond the continent of Europe due to the legacy of colonialism. In this broader sense it's sometimes referred to as Western Civilization. Nearly all of the Americas and all of Africa were ruled by European powers at one time or another, and some parts of the New World, such as French Guiana, still are. The vast majority of the population of the Americas speak European languages, specifically Spanish, English, Portuguese, French and to a much lesser extent Dutch. Additionally the cultures of the European colonial powers (Spain, Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium and France) exert a strong influence.
Pan-European identity refers to both the sense of personal identification with Europe, and to the identity possessed by 'Europe' as a whole. 'Europe' is widely used as a synonym for the European Union even though there are millions of people living on the European continent in non-EU states. The prefix pan implies that the identity applies throughout Europe, and especially in an EU context, 'pan-European' is often contrasted with national.
ReligionHigh Middle Ages, most of Europe has been dominated by Christianity. There are three major denominations, Roman Catholic, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox, with Protestantism restricted mostly to Germanic regions, and Orthodoxy to Slavic regions, Greece and Georgia. Catholicism, while centered in the Latin parts, has a significant following also in Germanic, Slavic and Celtic regions.
Islam has some tradition in the Balkans (the European dominions of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th to 19th centuries), in Albania, Former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Turkish East Thrace. European Russia has the largest Muslim community, including the Tatars of the Middle Volga and multiple groups in the Caucasus, including Chechens, Avars, Ingush and others. With 20th century migrations, Muslims in Western Europe have become a noticeable minority.
Judaism has a long history in Europe, but is a small minority religion, with France (1%) the only European country with a Jewish population in excess of 0.5%. The Jewish population of Europe is comprised primarily of two groups, the Ashkenazi and the Sephardi. Ashkenazi Jews migrated to Europe as early as the 8th century, while Sephardi Jews established themselves in Spain and Portugal at least one thousand years before that. Jewish European history was notably affected by a genocide and resulting emigration in the 20th century.
In modern times, significant secularization has taken place, notably in laicist France in the 19th century and in Communist Eastern Europe in the 20th century. Currently, distribution of theism in Europe is very heterogeneous, with more than 95% in Poland, and less than 20% in the Czech Republic. On average, the 2005 Eurobarometer poll found that 52% of the citizens of EU member state that they believe in God.
Small but growing minorities in Europe follow Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism.
Further Information
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