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]] The term Mongoloid is most used in discussions of human prehistory, Historical Definitions Of Race and in the Forensic analysis of human remains. Today, it may also sometimes be used to describe one of a few major Cline s of humanity. The suffix " -oid " indicates a similarity, not necessarily exact, to something else. Mongoloid, therefore, does not necessarily equate to earlier terms such as "Mongolian" or " Asiatic " — whatever the parameters for their definitions may be — and much less does it equate to the Mongolia n nationality. USAGE Racial classification, and even the existence of Race , is controversial. The ''-oid'' racial terms are now often controversial in both technical and non-technical contexts, and may be considered offensive by some. {Link without Title} "Mongoloid" loosely applies to physical traits and not to contemporary or historic definitions of racial or social groups. Some current terms for the latter are Asian, East Asian, Southeast Asian, and Oriental ; however the range of ''Mongoloid'' does not correspond exactly to any one of these. In regards to "Asian", it can be said that North Asians, East Asians, and Southeast Asians are physically Mongoloid, however most South Asians are not, Central Asians tend to intermediate between Mongoloids and Caucasoids, and West Asians (Middle Easterners) are classified as Caucasoids. Since people with Down Syndrome have some superficially Mongoloid physical characteristics, the term "Mongol" was once also used as a synonym for Retardation . It was also employed by some, primarily in John Langdon Down's ''Observations on the Ethnic Classification of Idiots '' (1866), as an alleged evolutionary Degeneration when applied to Europeans. For these reasons, the usage of the term Mongoloid for racial purposes has acquired offensive connotations for some people. GEOGRAPHIC RANGE The Mongoloid classification has long been debated as to whom it includes, even today. There has been much debate over what constitutes a race. As a form of classification by Carleton S. Coon (1904-1981), "Mongoloid" includes the indigenous peoples of North Asia , East Asia , Southeast Asia , and some parts of Central Asia and South Asia . Most people from South Asia are usually classified as Caucasoid , while most of those from Central Asia as intermediate. By extension, Mongoloid arguably includes Polynesians from the Mid-Pacific Oceania , the Indigenous Peoples Of The Americas , those of Greenland , some indigenous populations of Northern Europe (eg. the Sami of Finland ) and some Eastern Europe ans who are said to have Mongoloid admixture and whose cranial morphology ( Brachycephalic y, high Zygoma s, etc.) but not pigmentation ( Blondism , Eye Color , etc) more closely resemble those of Mongoloids than Caucasoids. Mongoloid peoples may be the most spread out among all human populations, according to Carleton S. Coon's defintion. They have stretched almost completely around the earth's surface as either aboriginals (the first to arrive in a given region) or as conquering migrants. They can be found as far "east" as Greenland, and yet also as far to the "west" as Kalmykia , the Crimea , and even Scandinavia , giving Asiatic peoples or their descendants a historical presence across the vast expanse of four continents. MONGOLOID VARIATION ese PM, Junichiro Koizumi . Northern Mongoloid ]] n PM, Hun Sen . Southern Mongoloid ]] actress, Maggie Cheung ]] singer, Serdar Ortaç. Some Turkish People still exhibit Mongoloid characteristics]] vian President, Alejandro Toledo . Amerindian ]] Inuit artist, Kenojuak Ashevak ]] Northern Mongoloids The Northern Mongoloid peoples of North Asia and Central Asia. They have somewhat hairier bodies than other Mongoloid type, and their facial features are quite sharp. Farther to the south and east of interior Asia, the northern and interior the Japanese , Koreans , and some northern Han Chinese or Manchurians also continue to inherit these other prototypical physical features. Other Northern Mongoloids include many smaller groups in Central Asia and the Arctic regions such as the Buryats , Chukchis , Tuvans , Nivkhs , Yakuts , Siberian Inuit , Tibetans , and Mongolians . The indigenous Ainu People of Japan are also grouped into the northern Mongoloids, however, they are an archaic type. Some of their characteristics are considered Caucasoid. In the early 20th century Anthropologists debated on what Typological Classification the Ainu belonged to. The typological models of Racial Classification in use at that time have since undergone significant revision, in the light of developments in fields such as Genetics . Southern Mongoloids The Southern Mongoloid is typically shorter-nosed, with quite hairless bodies, and tend to be slender. Starting with the southern Han Chinese of the southeastern coast, they are believed to be adapted to damper climates and allegedly mixed with Austronesian prototypes migrating to the Pacific Ocean. The peoples of the majority of continental Southeast Asia , specifically those who are located west of the Annamite Mountain range, including Malaysia , Indonesia , and the Philippines . They are considered Mongoloid according to the four-race theory, however, they are genetically distinct from their neighbors to the north and may be considered a Southern Mongoloid race. In Southeast Asia, these Southern Mongoloids have assimilated, mixed in with, or replaced Australoids in some areas. Some Pacific Islander s or Polynesian s may also be considered Mongoloids, although in this area of the world, Australoids and Mongoloids have hybridised considerably and the lines between the two "races" are blurred. Although the Vietnamese , whom are located and originate to the northeast of the Annamite Mountain Range, are geographically labelled as "Southeast Asians", their ethnic and cultural heritage ties them to their immediate northern neighbours, the Southern Chinese and other tribes within the proximity of South China . Han Chinese The Han Chinese are by far the most populous and heterogeneous Mongoloid "group". Indeed, the Han are often said to be the largest single group of any race, however, they are really not a truly coherent single ethnicity. The concept of a unified group of Han Chinese is more so a cultural anthropological concept rather than a biological anthropological one.
Even these two classifications only touch the surface of the vast diversity within the Han Chinese ethnic group; for example, population samples from Shanghai and Jiangsu area share both Northern Mongoloid and Southern Mongoloid characteristics ''in addition'' to having genetically unique characteristics not found in other Han populations, suggesting integration of indigenous peoples unique to its location. [http://evolutsioon.ut.ee/publications/Yao2002.pdf Turkic Mongoloids In Central Asia , the Uzbeks , Uyghur s, Kyrgyz , and Kazakhs show strong Turkic Mongoloid elements, which would make them the Western cousins of the Mongolians . However, among these, and especially among Uzbeks and Uyghurs in particular, one may notice a continuum of physical types that ranges from northern Mongoloid to Mediterranean Caucasoid, and in some cases may even display Blond ism. This tends to also be true among the modern Tatars ( Bulgars ) and Bashkirs . Historically, the Huns and the ancient Tatars have been considered to belong to the Mongoloid family. The Turkmen , while still a Central Asian Turkic-Mongoloid population, have mixed heavily with Caucasoid neighbours to the west. Many of the even more westerly Turkic-speakers , such as the westernmost Turkish People of modern-day Turkey , appear to have little Mongoloid ancestry. Whatever Mongoloid ancestry is present is no longer obvious in most of the current largely Mediterranean-appearing population, although the cranial structures among most tends to be Brachycephalic or Mesocephalic , and the Zygoma (cheekbones) also tend to be relatively higher — characteristics not typical of Caucasoids. An alternate opinion suggests that the Turks may have originally been a Caucasoid people. Old Chinese records, and the presence of Caucasoid mummies in western China and Mongolia, suggest that the Turkic peoples were once Caucasoid, and that they later mixed with Mongoloid neighbours. However, the Uyghurs , who to the eyes of Europeans generally appear Mongoloid, are considered a Caucasoid group by the Chinese government. New World Mongoloids The Indigenous Peoples Of The Americas are believed to have entered the American Continent between 35 to 25 thousand years ago. The earlier known inhabitants of the continent are the Amerindians, and they are distinct from the subsequent migrations who would become the indigenous populations of Arctic North America (the various Alaska n and indigenous Arctic Canadian groups such as the Inuit , Innu , and Aleut s). The indigenous groups of Arctic North America — including the Haida people of British Columbia on the northwest coast — can often resemble Central Asians and even Northern Asians (such as Koreans or Japanese ), making them much closer to the Northern Mongoloid type than even Southeast Asians. The Amerindian s are often considered a separate division of the Mongoloids which branched off of archaic Mongoloids, or proto-Mongoloids, from Siberia and other parts of Northeast Asia , including the Ainu or such groups related to them. See Kennewick Man . From that point in time, when they crossed over to North America and dispersed into Central and South America , they went their separate ways. Some scholars classify Amerindians in a category of their own due to the large time gap of separate isolated evolution and certain distinct genetic and physical characteristics not found in Old World Mongoloids or the indigenous groups of Arctic North America. The indigenous groups of Arctic North America are always clustered with Old World Mongoloids due to their recent arrival and their shared evolution. CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES Physical characteristics typical of Mongoloids include oblique palpebral fissures that create almond-shaped eyes, also known as Epicanthal Fold s. The presence of epicanthic folds is most prevalent in people of East Asian and Southeast Asian descent. The overwhelming majority also exhibit the Mongolian Spot , which is a natural smooth brown or blue-gray birthmark usually on the lower back and buttocks area of infants and is visible up to about age four. This feature, however, is not unique to Mongoloids, and may be found among European and African populations although at a much reduced frequency. The vast majority of Mongoloids have straight black hair and dark brown eyes. Dark brown hair and lighter brown do occur, but less so. The occurrence of grey eyes and even blue eyes has been observed among a few Central Asians and Mongolians , however, this could be from a Caucasoid continuum. Wavy hair is not uncommon in North China and Korea . Skin pigmentation varies significantly. The skin's undertone is usually yellowish, but the actual pigmentation may go from very pale, to pale and light brown, medium brown, to dark brown and extremely dark. Cranial morphology is typically Brachycephalic (round-headed) with high-set Zygoma (cheekbones). Faces are relatively broad and flat, while noses are typically small with low nasal bridges and minimal nasal projection. Body hair is scarce and sweat glands are also fewer. Nevertheless, Mesocephalic craniology (intermediate between round and oval), somewhat higher nasal bridges, and greater facial and body hair may sometimes also occur. Note that among the Indigenous Peoples Of The Americas , or more specifically, among Amerindians (ie. to the exclusion of the indigenous populations of Arctic North America ), the occurrence of epicanthal folds is almost absent; skin pigmentations may also go from pale to light, medium, and dark brown, but the undertone is reddish; and larger often "hooked" noses, with high nasal bridges and great nasal projection are most common. The "prototypic" Mongoloid features seem to have originated among those who originate from drier, arid, or colder inland or northern regions. Whereas tropical and damper weather along the Pacific coast or in the proximity of the Equator seems to have contributed to "softer" or smoother physical features, and significantly less body and facial hair. The same might also be argued for Africans. GENETIC HISTORY According to a modern anthropological textbook ''The Human Species'' (2003), there only exists "continuous variation" of races and not "discrete units", but historically Mongoloid populations are considered to be a division of the Eurasian Supercluster, which comprises both Caucasoids (Western Eurasians) and Mongoloids (Eastern Eurasians). Historically it had been believed that the Mongoloids split from the Caucasoids, the Mongoloids themselves divided into the Northern ( Northeast Asia ns) and Southern (Southeast Asians and Pacific Islander s) Mongoloid groups. Historically it was believed the Amerindians are a group that branched off the Northern Mongoloid population before crossing into the New World . Modern biological evidence from the anthropological textbook ''Human Species'' (2003) contradicts earlier theories of which groups were more genetically related to other groups. Humans are all related. Humanity divided itself into the African and the Eurasian/Oceanic branch. The Eurasian and Oceanic branches are the products of this common origin. The Eurasian branch split into the Amerindian and major East Asian branch. The major East Asian branch divided itself into eastern Russian and the East Asian. The Oceanic branch divided itself into the Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders. According to the ''Human Species'' (2003), East Asian s generally are more genetically similar to the South Asian s than to Southeast Asian s, because the Far East and the Indian Subcontinent are members of the Eurasian branch while Southeast Asians are members or the Oceanic branch.John Relethford, The Human Species: An introduction to Biological Anthropology, 5th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003). Philip L. Stein and Bruce M. Rowe, Physical Anthropology, 8th ed. (McGraw-Hill, 1996) These various divisions of humanity have interbred throughout History and Pre-history , making racial classification a more generalised form of taxonomy than an absolute one. According to the above reference: "There has never been a clear consensus on the actual number (of races), though". FOOTNOTES EXTERNAL LINKS
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