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The Caucasoid race is a term used by some outside of academia (who may base their claim on out-of-date academic research) to refer to what should properly be called the Caucasion cline, which is generally associated with people of European descent. Physical anthropologists often define Caucasoid with a pattern of physical traits typical of humans indigenous to an area including Europe, South Asia, Middle East, North Africa, and certain areas in the Horn of Africa and Central Asia. The Caucaoid race is the most populous of the races in craniofacial anthropology with 55% of the world's population.

The suffix -oid indicates "a similarity, not necessarily exact, to something else", so Caucasoid can be expected to refer to a wider range of people than Caucasian race, itself a term with an inexact definition.

According to modern mainstream anthropology, the Caucasoid race is a concept that emerged as a result of history, not genetics. It is a genetically arbitrary, completely subjective fabrication, but, while a purely socially constructed relic of history, it has had a very significant historical impact.

One undergraduate anthropology textbook states: "Races are the products of the past. They are relics of times and conditions which have long ceased to exist." Race and subspecies have become synonymous to each other in many definitions. All humans belong to the same subspecies, homo sapiens sapiens, and because of this the term Caucasoid fits the term cline rather than race.

Physical traits

Caucasoid hair type may either be wavy or straight and it comes in all diameters and colors.

Carleton S. Coon's book "The Races of Europe" classified Caucasoids into subraces named after regions or archeological sites, such as: Brünn, Borreby, Alpine, Ladogan, East Baltic, Neo-Danubian, Lappish, Mediterranean, Atlanto-Mediterranean, East African, Irano-Afghan, Nordic, Hallstatt, Celtic, Tronder, Dinaric, Noric and Armenoid.

Mediterranean (Latin)

The Mediterranean subrace has been divided into the Mediterranean Proper and the Atlanto-Mediterranean. The Mediterranean varies in skin color from white to chestnut brown with a long linear skull and angular facial forms. They have rounded occiput and large eyes. Their nasal shape is pointed. The Mediterranean proper are either mesocephalic or brachycephalic. There racial type ranges from Spain, Portugal, Italy and other borderlands of the Mediterranean sea. The Cappodacian subrace has been absorbed into the Mediterranean, but still is visible in the Oriental Jew.

The Atlano-Mediterranean/Alpine is a tall, straight-nosed doliocephalic. They range from North Africa, the Balkans, strong in Iraq and Israel, present in parts of Arabia, it is the principle stock in certain areas of the Horn of Africa, and also widely available in Italy, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Iberian Peninsula, and the British Isles.

Nordic (Germanic)

The Nordic subrace is located in Northern Europe. Nordics have the lightest skin color and widest shoulders in the world. They have a longlinear body and a doliocephalic skull shape. Their nasal bridge is straight, their nostrils have a pinched appearance, and their mouths stick out. Nordic individuals are most commonly found in Scandinavia, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, British Isles, and the Alps. They are also found in many other parts of the world, due to migration.

Dinaric (Adriatic)

Dinarics includes the populations of eastern Slavic Contries, and Russia and former Soviet republics. They have light brown to black hair. They are long in their limbs and face, but have a short skull. Their nasal bridge is high and their nasal profile is triangular. Their subraces include Pandanian and Noric.

Footnotes

1. Thompson, Bert. Apologetics Press. 2006. September 9, 2006.
2. American Heritage Book of English Usage. -oid. 1996. September 14, 2006. <http://www.bartleby.com/64/C008/037.html>.
3. American Anthropology Associaton Statement on Race
4. Robert Jurmain and others, Introduction to Physical Anthropology, 8th ed. (Belmont CA: Wadsworth, 2000), page 419.
5. P&G Beauty and Science. The World of Hair. 2003. September 16, 2006. <http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_37.htm;jsessionid=ONDUVUETQGE25QFIAJ1S0HWAVABHMLKG>.
6. Biasutti, Renato. Description of Europid Races. 1954. September 14, 2006. <http://www.geocities.com/dienekesp4/europids/>.
7. Racial Reality. Caucasoid Subraces. 2006. September 16, 2006. <http://www.sitesled.com/members/racialreality/subraces.html>.
8. Biasutti, Renato. Description of Europid Races. 1954. September 14, 2006. <http://www.geocities.com/dienekesp4/europids/>.
9. Biasutti, Renato. Description of Europid Races. 1954. September 14, 2006. <http://www.geocities.com/dienekesp4/europids/>.

See Also

• Caucasian race
• Australoid race
• Mongoloid race
• Negroid race
• Capoid race
• Races of physical anthropology
• Craniofacial Anthropometry
• White people

External links

• Caucasoid Subraces Classification by Carleton S. Coon.
• Caucasoid Subraces classificatioin by Renato Biasutti

• Physical anthropology
• Race