Human races and nationalities are studied by various scientific disciplines. So, ethnos is studied by social science - ethnology. The human races are also investigated by physical anthropology, a biological science.
The resettlement of people on the planet began in ancient times. The groups, developing the territory, naturally adjoined each other, which also naturally implied closer, including marriage, relationships.
Miscegenation (physical mixing) of various groups, which began in antiquity, continues today. However, the Great Migration of the 4th – 7th centuries introduced significant changes in the so-called ethno-racial picture of the world.
As a result of mixing, the human races today are almost never found in their pure form. This fact applies both to the largest peoples (for example, the southern Chinese are outwardly distinguishable from the northern ones), and to the relatively small peoples - for example, the Khakass, Mansi, Altai, Khanty and other peoples of Siberia, the Urals and the Volga region, formed as a result of the interaction of the Mongoloid and Caucasoid groups.
The southern and southeast Asian peoples are distinguished to one degree or another by an intense mixture of australoid, Mongoloid, and Caucasoid elements.
In South India, human races are less diverse than in other territories. Here, quite a lot of sub-ethnic groups adjoin, which are minimally mixed with each other. It should be noted that perfect barriers between groups do not exist, therefore, miscegenation takes place.
After the discovery of America and its subsequent development, two fairly large groups formed: mulattos and mestizos. Métis, as a rule, is called the descendants of the Indians and “whites,” and mulattos are called “whites” and Africans.
The Australian Negroid or Equatorial race is distinguished by curly hair and dark skin. Its characteristic features include a wide nose, a large mouth, thick lips. This large group includes the following races:
- Australian - characterized by wavy hair, dark skin, an abundant amount of hair on the body and face. Representatives of this subgroup have growth above average or high.
- The Vedoid race is characterized by lower growth and a small amount of hair. These people have a smaller head and a not so wide nose.
- Representatives of the Melanesian race, including Negro types, are distinguished by a highly developed hairline on the body. Its representatives are also characterized by curly hair, protruding quite strongly over the eyebrows.
- The Negroid race, in contrast to the Vedoid and Australian, is characterized by increased curly hair. These people are characterized by thick lips, relatively higher eye orbits, low nose, high growth.
- The Negril race differs from the Negroid race in less thick lips and short stature. Representatives of this subgroup have a more abundant tertiary hairline, and the nose is sharper.
- Bushmen are not only short, but also have a lighter skin tone. Their nose is narrow, their face is relatively flat and small in size.
It should be noted that in some peoples the mixing of races took place only in antiquity and in the era of the Middle Ages. In other nationalities, miscegenation is characterized by increased intensity precisely today.
Races are primarily a reflection of the average characteristics of a population. At the same time, one person can not always be attributed to even the largest group. Even among mulattos, there are various types, in whose faces the most controversial features are sometimes combined. Small local races, meanwhile, are usually determined on the basis of statistical averages.