Ethnic groups in Asia

The ancestral population of modernAsian peoplehas its origins in the two primary prehistoric settlement centres – greaterSouthwest Asiaand from theMongolian plateautowardsNorthern China.
Migrations of distinctethnolinguisticgroups have probably occurred as early as 10,000 years ago. However, around 2,000 BCE earlyIranian speaking peopleandIndo-Aryansarrived in Iran and northernIndian subcontinent. Pressed by theMongols,Turkic peoplesoften migrated to the western and northern regions of theCentral Asianplains. Prehistoric migrants fromSouth ChinaandSoutheast Asiaseem to have populatedEast Asia,KoreaandJapanin several waves, where they gradually replaced indigenous people, such as theAinu, who are of uncertain origin.AustroasiaticandAustronesianpeople establish in Southeast Asia between 5.000 and 2.000 BCE, partly merging with, but eventually displacing the indigenousAustralo-Melanesians.
In terms ofAsian people, there is an abundance ofethnic groupsinAsia, with adaptations to the climate zones of the continent, which include arctic, subarctic, temperate, subtropical or tropical, as well as extensive desert regions in Central andWestern Asia. The ethnic groups have adapted to mountains, deserts, grasslands, and forests, while on the coasts ofAsia, resident ethnic groups have adopted various methods of harvest and transport. The types of diversity in Asia are cultural, religious, economic and historical.
Some groups are primarilyhunter-gatherers- whereas others practicetranshumance(nomadic lifestyle), have beenagrarianfor millennia, or adopted an industrial or urban lifestyle. Some groups or countries in Asia are completely urban (e.g.,QatarandSingapore); the largest countries in Asia with regard to population are theChina,India,Indonesia,Pakistan,Bangladesh,Japan,Philippines,Vietnam,Iran,Turkey,Thailand,Burma,South Korea,Uzbekistan, andMalaysia.Colonisationof Asian ethnic groups and states byEuropean peoplesbegan in the late 1st millennium BCE, reaching its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Central Asia, in its most common definition, is deemed to consist of five formerSoviet Socialist Republics:Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan,Uzbekistan, andTurkmenistan. In a wider view,Xinjiangof westernChina,Mongolia,Afghanistan, and northernPakistanare included.Turkic,Indo-Iranian, andMongolicpeoples comprise its general ethnicities.
The main religions of Central Asia areIslam(Turkic/Indo-Iranian peoples) andBuddhism(Mongolia, Tibet). Central Asia has a long, rich history mainly based on its geographical location along the ancientSilk Road. It has been conquered byMongols,Tibetans,Timurids,Uzbeks,Persians,Tatars,Russians,AfghansandSarmatians, and thus has a very distinct, vibrant culture.The culture is influenced byChinese,Indian,Jewish/Hebrew,Persian,Afghan,Arabian,Turkish,Russian,Sarmatian, andMongoliancultures.
Themusic of Central Asiais rich and varied and is appreciated worldwide. Meanwhile,Central Asian cuisineis one of the most prominent cuisines ofAsia, with cuisines fromPakistan,India,China,TurkeyandAzerbaijanshowing significant influence from the foods of Central Asia. One of the most famous Central Asian foods iskebab.
The literature of Central Asia is linked withPersian literatureas historically it has been part of thePersian Empirefor a lot of its history. Furthermore, sitting at the junction of the Silk Road, it has numerousChinese,IndianandArabianliterary works.
East Asiansis a term used for ethnic groups that are indigenous toEast Asia, which consists ofMainland China,Hong Kong,Macau,Taiwan,Tibet,Japan,Mongolia,North Korea, andSouth Korea.The major ethnic groups that form the core of East Asia are theHan,Korean, andYamato.Other ethnic groups of East Asia include theBai,Hui,Tibetans,Turkic,Manchus,Ryukyuan,Ainu,Zhuang,Mongols, and otherMongolic peoples.Ancestral East Asians are, based on archaeogenetic data, suggested to have originated in Mainland Southeast Asia, and expanded outgoing from Southern China in multiple waves northwards and southwards respectively.
The major East Asian language families are theSinitic,Japonic, andKoreanicfamilies.Other language families areTibeto-Burman,Ainu languages,Mongolic,Tungusic,Turkic,Miao–Yao,Tai–Kadai,Austronesian, andMon–Khmer.
Throughout the ages, the greatestinfluenceon East Asiahistoricallyhas been fromChina, where the span of its cultural influence is generally known as theSinospherelaid the foundation for East Asian civilization.Chinese culture not only served as the foundation its own society and civilization, but for also that of its East Asian neighbors, Japan and Korea.The knowledge and ingenuity of Chinese civilization and the classics of Chinese literature and culture were seen as the foundations for a civilized life in East Asia. China served as a vehicle through which the adoption of Confucian ethical philosophy, Chinese calendar systems, political and legal systems, architectural style, diet, terminology, institutions, religious beliefs,imperial examinationsthat emphasized a knowledge of Chinese classics, political philosophy and culture, as well as historically sharing a commonwriting systemreflected in the histories ofJapanandKorea.The relationship between China and its cultural influence on East Asia has been compared to the historical influence ofGreco-Roman civilizationon Europe and theWestern World.Major characteristics exported by China towards Japan and Korea include sharedChinese-derived language characteristics, as well as similar social and moral philosophies derived fromConfucianistthought.
Thescript of the Han Chinese charactershas long been a unifying feature in East Asia as the vehicle for exporting Chinese culture to its East Asian neighbors.Chinese characters became the unifying language of bureaucratic politics and religious expression in East Asia.The Chinese script was passed on first toKorea,Vietnamin the 1st century, then toJapan, where it forms a major component of theJapanese writing system. In Korea,Sejong the Greatinvented thehangulalphabet in 1443, which later became the mainorthographicsystem for theKorean languagein the 19th century.In Japan, much of theJapanese languageis written inhiraganaandkatakanain addition toChinese characters.
European influences, especiallyRussian, are strong in the southwestern and central part of the region, due to its highRussianpopulation fromEastern Europewhich began to settle the area in the 18th century.For the most part,North Asiais considered to be made up of theAsian part of Russiasolely. North Asia is geographically the northern extremity ofEast Asiaand the physical characteristics of its native inhabitants generally resemble that of East Asians, however, this is principally divided along political lines under separate national identities, particularly that of China, Mongolia and Russia. The main ethnic groups of the region speak languages of theUralic,Turkic,Mongolic, andTungusiclanguage families, along withEast Slavsand various "Paleo-Siberian" peoples, with most of these ethnic groups being composed of nomads or people with a nomadic history.
The geographic region ofSiberiawas the historical land of the Turkic people, theTatars, in theSiberia Khanate.Russia, underexpansion of its territoryhowever, took control of the region now known as Siberia, and thus today it isunder Russian rule. There are roughly 33 million people in North Asia.
South Asiain general definition, consists of the countries ofAfghanistan,Bangladesh,Bhutan,India,Maldives,Nepal,Pakistan, andSri Lanka. The fiveSouthern Indianstates and north-eastern Sri Lanka share aDravidianculture, due to the prominence ofDravidian languagesthere. TheBrahuisofPakistanalso belong toDravidian peoplegroup.Sri Lankahas two main languages, Sinhalese which has Indo-Aryan roots and Tamil which has Dravidian roots.Bangladeshand theIndianprovinceWest Bengalshare a commonBengalilanguageand culture. The provinces of Jammu Kashmir andGilgit-BaltistanofPakistanshare a commonDardicand Tibetic heritage with the Indian territories ofJammu and KashmirandLadakh. Similarly thePunjabprovince of Pakistan andIndianstate ofPunjabshare a common Punjabiethnicity,languageand culture. In Pakistan, the two western regions ofBaluchistanandKhyber Pakhtunkhwashare a greaterIranianheritage and while the provinces ofSindhshare a moreIndo-Aryanculture.Iranianis most prevalent inAfghanistan, with significantTurkicspeakers.
Regions ofNepaland parts of the Indian states and territories ofArunachal Pradesh,Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh,Sikkim, andUttarakhandhave cultural similarity toTibet,Tibetan Buddhismbeing the dominant religion there. Finally theNortheast Indianstates ofMeghalaya,Mizoram,Manipur,Nagaland, and tribal groups ofAssamandTripurahave cultural affinities withSoutheast Asia.
Bhutanese are often referred to in their literature as "Bhote" (people of Bhutia/Bhotia or Tibet). They follow Tibetan Buddhism to and it is a dominant political and cultural element in modernBhutan. Their language,Dzongkha, is the national language and is descended from OldTibetan.
Hinduism,Buddhism,Jainism, andSikhismfounded in the region that is today's India, and spread throughout theIndian subcontinent.IslamandChristianityalso have significant histories. While India and Nepal have a majority of people following Hinduism,Islamis the second largest religion after Hinduism inIndiaand South Asia withMuslim majority countrieslike Pakistan and Bangladesh. Sri Lanka and Bhutan have a majority ofBuddhistsalongsideHindus
Indo-Aryan languagesare spoken in most ofNorth,East,West, andCentralIndia;Nepal;Bangladesh;Pakistan; andSri Lanka.Dravidian languagesare spoken inIndia,fewer parts ofPakistan,Afghanistan,Nepal,Maldives,Bangladesh, andSri Lanka.Tibeto-Burman languagesare spoken in the hills ofBangladesh,Nepal,North Pakistan,NorthandNorth East India.Austroasiatic languagesare spoken in certain northern and eastern areas ofBangladesh, parts ofNepaland scattered across different zones ofIndiamostly concentrated aroundChota Nagpur Plateauand the state ofMeghalaya.Iranian languagesare most prevalent inAfghanistanand westernPakistan.Turkicspeakers are significant inAfghanistanand due to theAfghan diasporain parts ofPakistanas well.
Southeast Asiais often split into two parts:Mainland Southeast Asia, comprisingBurma,Cambodia,Laos,Peninsular Malaysia,Thailand, andVietnam; andMaritime Southeast Asia, which includesBrunei,East Timor,Indonesia,East Malaysia, thePhilippines, andSingapore.Chinahas historically influenced the region more thanIndia, most notably through the largeChinese populationsin many of the countries of the region.
Demographically, Southeast Asia has had little Western immigration, although Western influence still exists due to the lasting legacy ofcolonialism. One example is the Philippines, which has been heavily influenced bySpainand slightly by theUnited States of Americaover the course of almost four centuries of colonisation.
A common feature found around the region isstilt houses, while another isrice paddyagriculture, which originated in the region thousands of years ago. Dance is also a very important feature of the culture, utilizing movements of the hands and feet perfected over thousands of years. Furthermore, theartsandliteratureofSoutheast Asiais very distinctive as some have been influenced byIndian,Hindu,Chinese,IslamicandBuddhistliterature.
West Asiais sometimes referred to as "Southwest Asia". West Asia consists ofArmenia,Azerbaijan,Bahrain,Cyprus,Georgia,Iran,Iraq,Israel,Jordan,Kuwait,Lebanon,Oman,Palestine,Qatar,Saudi Arabia,Syria,United Arab Emirates,Yemen, most ofTurkey, and part ofEgypt.
Culturally, the region's dominant ethnic groups areArab(about 150 million), Turkic (about 60 million),Persian(about 50 million) andKurds(about 35 million). Other indigenous minorities includeJews(6.2 million),Assyrians(about 400,000),Armenians(about 4.5 million),Azerbaijanis(about 40 million),Mandaeans,Yazidis,Circassians,Greeks, and others. Many of the West Asian countries contain expansivedeserts, and thus many nomadic groups exist today, most notably theBedouinArabs.
At least 21 million of European, Russian, North American and South American nationalities and heritage live in Asia, representing 0.45% of the total population of Asia. The following is a list of people with such ancestry and nationality, including people of mixed heritage of part Asian and part European/North American/South American, living in Asian countries, also showing the main country of origin.
Philippines5 million (Spain, 4.7% of total population)
Kazakhstan3.5 million (Russia, 19% of total population)
India1.7 million (United Kingdom, 0.12% of total population)
Kyrgyzstan837,000 (Russia, 13.5% of total population)
Uzbekistan750,000 (Russia, 2.3% of total population)
United Arab Emirates461,000 (United Kingdom, 4.9% of total population)
Turkmenistan297,913 (Russia, 5.1% of total population)
Thailand250,000 (United Kingdom, 0.36% of total population)
South Korea245,000 (United States, 0.48% of total population)
Hong Kong218,209 (United States, 3.1% of total population)
Indonesia189,000 (Netherlands, 0.071% of total population)
Pakistan149,253 (United Kingdom, 0.07% of total population)
Syria120,000 (Russia, 0.7% of total population)
Azerbaijan119,300 (Russia, 1.2% of total population)
Qatar115,000 (United States, 4.3% of total population)
Bangladesh110,138 (United States, 0.06% of total population)
Cyprus109,462 (United Kingdom, 9.1% of total population)
Japan106,000 (United States, 0.08% of total population)
Saudi Arabia100,000 (United States, 0.3% of total population)
Singapore76,900 (United Kingdom, 1.3% of total population)
Tajikistan68,200 (Russia, 1.1% of total population)
Jordan65,000 (Russia, 0.67% of total population)
Iran50,000 (Russia, 0.061% of total population)
Malaysia37,000 (Portugal, 0.11% of total population)
Georgia26,453 (Russia, 0.7% of total population)
Lebanon25,000 (United States, 0.41% of total population)
Taiwan21,000 (United States, 0.09% of total population)
Myanmar19,200 (United Kingdom, 0.035% of total population)
Oman16,349 (United Kingdom, 0.39% of total population)
Bahrain15,000 (United Kingdom, 1% of total population)
Afghanistan13,000 (United States, 0.037% of total population)
Kuwait13,000 (United States, 0.031% of total population)
Macau13,000 (Portugal, 2.3% of total population)
Armenia11,911 (Russia, 0.4% of total population)
Sri Lanka8,856 (Italy, 0.04% of total population)
Iraq6,000 (United States, 0.015% of total population)
Mongolia3,000 (Russia, 0.1% of total population)
Nepal3,000 (United States, 0.01% of total population)
Vietnam2,700 (United States, 0.002% of total population)
North Korea2,045 (United States, 0.008% of total population)
Maldives1,117 (Germany, 0.25% of total population)
Cambodia1,000 (France, 0.006% of total population)
Yemen1,000 (United States, 0.003% of total population)