Caucasian race

:See Caucasian for other uses of the term.

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The term Caucasian race is used almost exclusively in North America to refer collectively to people whose ancestry can be traced back to Europe, North Africa, the Middle East (West Asia), South Asia and parts of Central Asia. In the United States, it is currently used primarily as a distinction loosely based on skin color alone for a group commonly refered to as Whites, as defined by the American government and census bureau. It was once considered a useful taxonomical categorization of human racial groups based on a presumed common geographic, linguistic, and/or genetic origin.

Related Topics:
Race - Europe - North Africa - Middle East - West Asia - South Asia - Central Asia - United States - Color - Whites

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The term itself derives from measurements in craniology from the 19th century, and its name stems from the region of the Caucasus mountains, itself imagined to be the location from which Noah's son Japheth, traditional Biblical ancestor of the Europeans, established his tribe prior to its supposed migration into Europe.

Related Topics:
Craniology - 19th century - Caucasus - Japheth

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Caucasoid is a term used in physical anthropology to refer to people falling within a certain range of anthropometric measurements.

Related Topics:
Caucasoid - Physical anthropology - Anthropometric

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In continental Europe, "Caucasian" currently refers almost exclusively to people who are from the Caucasus.

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In New Zealand the term Caucasian is the most prevalent term for white people other than Pākehā. Caucasian is most often used in official forms or in news articles, whereas pākehā is more common in general language.

Related Topics:
New Zealand - Pākehā

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