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Revision as of 19:49, 23 December 2008 editJdeJ (talk | contribs)4,872 edits Undid revision 259771027 by 192.45.72.26 (talk) No, but we can surely say that there are German-speaking South Tyroleans.← Previous edit Revision as of 22:09, 23 December 2008 edit undo192.45.72.26 (talk) then at least have a correct wikilinkNext edit →
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Revision as of 22:09, 23 December 2008

Template:Totally-disputed

See Demography of Europe for population statistics.

The European peoples are the various nations and ethnic groups of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe.

Pan and Pfeil (2002) count 87 distinct "peoples of Europe", of which 33 form the majority population in at least one sovereign state, while the remaining 54 constitute ethnic minorities. The total number of national minority populations in Europe is estimated at 105 million people, or 14% of 770 million Europeans.

Overview

Further information: Demographics of Europe

There are eight peoples of Europe with more than 30 million members:

  1. the Russians (ca. 90 million settling in the European parts of Russia),
  2. the Germans (ca. 76 million),,
  3. the French (ca. 63 million)
  4. the Italians (ca. 53 million)
  5. the English (45 million)
  6. the Spanish (ca. 42 million),
  7. the Ukrainians (ca. 41 million),
  8. the Poles (ca. 38 million).

These eight groups between themselves account for some 460 million or about 63% of European population.

About 20-25 million residents (3%) are members of diasporas of non-European origin. The population of the European Union, with some five hundred million residents, accounts for two thirds of the European population.

Overview map of the peoples of Europe
Size and geographic distribution of the 87 peoples of Europe, according to Pan & Pfeil (2003).

Font size reflects population size (groups smaller than 2 million not to scale) Groups not shown due to lack of geographic concentration: Romani (3.8 million), Jews (1.3 million), Karaim (4,600). Small Baltic Finns, Volga Finns and Caucasian groups (<0.2 million) not shown in map: Votes, Ludes, Setos, Võros; Balkars, Karachays, Laks, Lazs, Nogais, Rutuls, Tabasarans, Tats, Tsakhurs.

Albanians Belarusians Bulgarians Croats Czechs Danes Finns French Occitans Ger
ma
ns
Greeks Hungarians Irish Ita
    li
        ans
Tatars Lithuanians Dutch Norwegians Poles Portu
guese
Romanians Russians Serbs Slovaks Span
iards
Galicians Catalans Swedes Turks Ukrainians English Scots Georgians Circassians Welsh Basques Slovenes Macedonians Bosniaks Montenegrins Faroese Sámi Icelanders Manx Maltese Latvians Livonians Estonians Frisians Chuvash Bashkirs Chechens Avars Dargins Lezgins Mordvins Ingush Ossete Udmurts Komi Permyaks Mari Komi Kazakhs Kalmyks Karelians Vepsians Izhorians Romansh Kashubs Bretons Cornish Aromanians Lux. Sorbs Kumyks Gagauz Inuit

Ethno-linguistic classifications

Distribution of major languages of Europe.
Further information: Languages of Europe

Of the total population of Europe of some 730 million (as of 2005), over 80% or some 600 million fall within three large ethno-linguistic super-groups, viz., Slavic, Latin (Romance) and Germanic. The largest groups that do not fall within either of these are the Greeks and the Hungarians (about 12 million each).

phylum super-group ethno-linguistic group subgroups approx. number (millions) notes
Indo-European Indo-European **640
Indo-Europeans Slavic Europe *225
Indo-Europeans Slavic, East Russians Pomors, presently Cossacks 90
Indo-Europeans Slavic, West Poles 38
Indo-Europeans Slavic, East Ukrainians Rusyns, Boykos, Hutsuls, Lemkos, Poleszuks 43
Indo-Europeans Slavic, West Czechs 10
Indo-Europeans Slavic, South Serbs 08
Indo-Europeans Slavic, East Belarusians 10
Indo-Europeans Slavic, South Bulgarians Pomaks 07
Indo-Europeans Slavic, South Croats 05
Indo-Europeans Slavic, West Slovaks 05
Indo-Europeans Slavic, South Macedonians 01.6
Indo-Europeans Slavic, South Bosniaks 01.6
Indo-Europeans Slavic, South Slovenes 02
Indo-Europeans Slavic, West Silesians 01.9
Indo-Europeans Slavic, South Montenegrins 0.6
Indo-Europeans Slavic, West Kashubs 0.5
Indo-Europeans Slavic, West Sorbs 0.06
Indo-Europeans Latin Europe *190
Indo-Europeans Latin, Western Francophonie French, Walloons, Romands, Provencals, Occitans, Aranese 61
Indo-Europeans Latin, Italo-Western Italians Sardinians, Furlans, Lombards, Venetians, Sicilians, Neapolitans, Corsicans 53
Indo-Europeans Latin, Western Spaniards Castilians; non-Castilian ethno-linguistic groups: Andalusians, Asturians, Aragonese, Catalans 38
Indo-Europeans Latin, Eastern Eastern Romance (Vlachs) Romanians, Moldovans, Megleno-Romanians, Istro-Romanians, Aromanians 23
Indo-Europeans Latin, Western Portuguese Galicians 12
Indo-Europeans Latin, Western Rhaeto-Romanics Romansh, Friulians, Ladins 0.6
Indo-Europeans Latin, Western Gibraltarians 0.03
Indo-Europeans Germanic Europe *180
Indo-Europeans Germanic, West, Continental German-speaking Europe Germans, Austrians, Alemannic Swiss, Luxembourgers, Alsatians, Lorrainers, German speakers of Bolzano-Bozen, German-speaking Belgians, North Schleswigers 89
Indo-Europeans Germanic, West, North Sea English 45 also subsumed under British or White British.
Indo-Europeans Germanic, North Scandinavians Norwegians, Swedes, Finland Swedes, Danes, Faroese, Icelanders 22
Indo-Europeans Germanic, West, Continental Netherlandish Dutch people, Flemish people 17
Indo-Europeans Germanic, West, North Sea Frisians 0.5
Indo-Europeans Celtic Europe *002-22 approx. 2 million speakers of Celtic languages, but depending on the definition, some 20 million may be considered "Celtic"
Indo-Europeans Anglo-Celtic, Goidelic Irish Gaeltacht 06 Some living in Northern Ireland can also subsumed under British or White British.
Indo-Europeans Anglo-Celtic, Goidelic Scots Gàidhealtachd 06 also subsumed under British or White British.
Indo-Europeans Anglo-Celtic, Brythonic Welsh 05 also subsumed under British or White British.
Indo-Europeans Franco-Celtic, Brythonic Bretons 05 also subsumed under French.
Indo-Europeans Anglo-Celtic, Brythonic Cornish 0.2 also subsumed under English, British or White British.
Indo-Europeans Anglo-Celtic, Goidelic Manx 0.04 also subsumed under British or White British.
Indo-Europeans Greek Greeks 12
Indo-Europeans Albanian Albanians 05
Indo-Europeans Indo-Aryan Roma people 04
Indo-Europeans Baltic 04.5
Indo-Europeans Lithuanians 03.1
Indo-Europeans Latvians Latgalians 01.4
Indo-Europeans Iranian Ossetians 0.4 depends on what part of the Caucasus is considered European, see below.
Indo-Europeans Iranian Tats 0.02
Turkic Turkic *025
Turkic peoples Turkic, Oghuz Turks 14 approx. 14 million in Turkish Thrace and Istanbul Province, with a large Turkish diaspora in other parts of Europe of over 3 million, principally in Germany 57 million including Asian populations.
Turkic peoples Turkic, Kypchak Tatars Crimean Tatars, Tat Tatars, Yaliboyu Tatars, Noğay Tatars 6
Turkic peoples Turkic, Oghur Chuvash 02
Turkic peoples Turkic, Kypchak Bashkirs 01.4
Turkic peoples Turkic, Kypchak Kumyks 00.3
Turkic peoples Turkic, Kypchak Karachays 01.5
Turkic peoples Turkic, Oghuz Gagauz 0.2
Turkic peoples Turkic, Kypchak Balkars 0.08
Turkic peoples Turkic, Kypchak Nogais 0.07
Finno-Ugric Finno-Ugric *022
Finno-Ugric peoples Ugric Hungarians 12
Finno-Ugric peoples Finnic, Finno-Lappic Finns Karelians, Sweden Finns, Ingrian Finns, Kven people 06
Finno-Ugric peoples Finnic, Finno-Lappic Estonians Setos, Võros 01
Finno-Ugric peoples Finnic, Volgaic Mordvins Erzya/Shoksha, Moksha, Teryukhan, Qaratay 1.1
Finno-Ugric peoples Finnic, Permic Udmurts 0.7
Finno-Ugric peoples Finnic, Volgaic Mari 0.6
Finno-Ugric peoples Finnic, Permic Komi Komi-Izhemtsy, Komi-Permyaks 0.5
Finno-Ugric peoples Finnic, Finno-Lappic Sami 0.1
Finno-Ugric peoples Finnic, Finno-Lappic Veps 0.008
Finno-Ugric peoples Finnic, Finno-Lappic Izhorians 0.001
Finno-Ugric peoples Finnic, Finno-Lappic Livonians 0.0001
Caucasian Caucasian *03 depends on what part of the Caucasus is considered European, see below.
Caucasian Northeast Caucasian Chechens 1
Caucasian Northeast Caucasian Avars 0.5
Caucasian Northeast Caucasian Dargin 0.4
Caucasian Northwest Caucasian Kabards 0.4
Caucasian Northeast Caucasian Lezgins 0.3
Caucasian Northeast Caucasian Ingushetians 0.2
Caucasian Northwest Caucasian Cherkes 0.2
Caucasian Northwest Caucasian Lak 0.1
Caucasian Northwest Caucasian Tabasarans 0.1
Caucasian Northeast Caucasian Rutuls 0.02
Caucasian Northeast Caucasian Tsakhur people 0.007
Basque Basque Basques 00.7
Semitic Semitic 2
Semitic Semitic, Hebrew Jews 1.3 also subsumed under various other, see below.
Semitic Semitic, Maltese Maltese 0.4 ethno-linguistic classification is difficult, since there is significant historical admixture of Italian, Sicilian, Siculo-Arabic and French influence.
Mongolic Mongolic Kalmyks 0.17

Europe has a population of about 2 million ethnic Jews (mostly also counted as part of the ethnic group of their respective home countries):

Depending on what parts of the Caucasus are considered part of Europe, various peoples of the Caucasus may also be considered "European peoples":

By country

Pan and Pfeil (2002) distinguish 33 peoples which form the majority population in at least one sovereign state geographically situated in Europe. These majorities range from nearly homogenous populations as in Poland or Albania to comparatively slight majorities as in Latvia or Belgium. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro are multiethnic states in which no group forms a majority.

country majority % regional majorities other minorities
Albania Albanians 95% Greeks 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma, Serbs, Macedonians, Bulgarians)
Austria Austrians 91.1% South Slavs 4% (includes Burgenland Croats, Carinthian Slovenes, Croats, Slovenes, Serbs, Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, Germans 0.9%, other or unspecified 2.4% (2001 census)
Belarus Belarusians 81.2% Russians 11.4%, Poles 3.9%, Ukrainians 2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census)
Belgium Flemings 58% Walloon 31%, Germans 1% mixed or other 10%
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosniak 48%, Serbs 37.1% Croats 14.3% other 0.6% (2000)
Bulgaria Bulgarians 83.9% Turks 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001 census)
Croatia Croats 89.6% Serbs 4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak, Hungarian, Slovenes, Czech, and Roma) (2001 census)
Czech Republic Czechs 90.4% Moravians 3.7% Slovaks 1.9%, other 4% (2001 census)
Denmark Danes 81% Faroese other Scandinavian 9%, Germans 5%, Frisians 1%, other European 3%
Estonia Estonians 67.9% Estonian Swedes Baltic Russians 25.6%, Ukrainians 2.1%, Belarusians 1.3%, Finns 0.9%, other (Baltic Germans) 2.2% (2000 census)
Finland Finns 93.4% Swedes 5.6% Russians 0.5%, Estonians 0.3%, Roma 0.1%, Sami 0.1% (2006)
France French 84% (includes Bretons, Corsicans, Occitans, Alsatians, Basques) other European 7%, North African 7%, Indochinese
Germany Germans 91.5% includes Bavarians, Swabians, Saxons, Frisians, Sorbs, Silesians Turks 2.4%, other 6.1% (mostly Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian and Spanish)
Greece Greeks 93% includes linguistic minorities 3% Albanians 4%, other 3% (2001 census)
Hungary Hungarians 92.3% Roma 1.9%, Germans 1.2% other or unknown 4.6% (2001 census)
Iceland Icelanders 94% other (non-native) 6%
Ireland Irish 87.4% other white 7.5%, Asian 1.3%, black 1.1%, mixed 1.1%, unspecified 1.6% (2006 census)
Italy Italians 95% includes Sicilians, Sardinians, Lombards and other subgroups other European (mostly Albanian, Romanian, Ukrainian) 2.5%, African (mostly North African Arab) 1.5%, others 1%
Kosovo Albanians 88% Serbs 7% other 5% (Bosniak, Gorani, Roma, Turk, Ashkali, Egyptian)
Latvia Latvians 57.7% Baltic Russians 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% (2002)
Lithuania Lithuanians 83.5% Poles 6.74%, Russians 6.31%, Belarusians 1.23%, other (Lipka Tatars) 2.27% (2001 census)
Macedonia Macedonians 64.2% Albanians 25.2% Turks 3.9%, Roma 2.7%, Serbs 1.8%, other 2.2% (2002 census)
Malta Maltese 95.3%.
Moldova Moldovan/Romanian 78.2% Ukrainians 8.4% Russians 5.8%, Gagauz 4.4%, Bulgarians 1.9%, other 1.3% (2004 census)
Montenegro Montenegrins 43%, Serbs 32% Bosniaks 8%, Albanians 5%, other (Croats, Roma) 12% (2003 census)
Netherlands Dutch 80.7% other EU 5%, Indonesians 2.4%, Turks 2.2%, Surinamese 2%, Moroccans 2%, Netherlands Antilles & Aruba 0.8%, other 4.8% (2008 est.)
Norway Norwegians 93.1% Sami 1.3% other European 3.6%, other 2% (2007 estimate)
Poland Poles 96.7% Germans 0.4%, Belarusians 0.1%, Ukrainians 0.1%, other and unspecified (Silesians) 2.7% (2002 census)
Portugal Portuguese 92%
Romania Romanians 89.5% Hungarians 6.6%, Roma 2.5%, Germans 0.3% Ukrainians 0.3%, Russians 0.2%, Turks 0.2%, other 0.4% (2002 census)
Russia Russians 79.8% Tatars 3.8%, Kalmyks, Chechens, Ossetians Ukrainians 2%, Bashkir 1.2%, Chuvash 1.1% other or unspecified (Nogais, Mordvins, Komi) 12.1% (2002 census, includes Asian Russia)
Serbia Serbs 82.9% Hungarians 3.9%, Roma 1.4%, Yugoslavs 1.1%, Bosniaks 1.8%, Montenegrin 0.9%, other 8% (2002 census, includes Kosovo)
Slovakia Slovaks 85.8% Hungarians 9.7% Roma 1.7%, Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
Slovenia Slovenians 83.1% Serbs 2%, Croats 1.8%, Bosniaks 1.1%, other or unspecified 12% (2002 census)
Spain Spanish 89% Various nationalities or sub-ethnicities (Castilians 25%; Basques 10%) 11% foreign nationals (South Americans, Romanians, North Africans, sub-Saharan Africans, other)
Sweden Swedes 88% Sweden-Finns, Sami people foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks
Switzerland Swiss 79% regional linguistic subgroups Balkans (Serbs, Croats, Albanians) 6%, Italians 4%, Portuguese 2%, Germans 1.5%, Turks 1%, Spanish 1%.
Ukraine Ukrainians 77.8% Russians 17.3%, Belarusians 0.6%, Moldovans 0.5%, Crimean Tatars 0.5%, Bulgarians 0.4%, Hungarians 0.3%, Romanians 0.3%, Poles 0.3%, Jews 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001 census)
United Kingdom English 77% Scots 8%, Welsh 4.5%, Northern Irish 2.8% (White British 92.1%) black (Nigerian) 2%, Indian 1.8%, Pakistani 1.3%, mixed 1.2%, other (Iraqi, east Asian) 1.6% (2001 census)

History

Prehistoric populations

Further information: Prehistoric Europe, Eurasian nomads, and Indo-European expansion

The Basques are assumed to descend from the populations of the Atlantic Bronze Age directly. The Indo-European groups of Europe (the Centum groups plus Balto-Slavic and Albanian) are assumed to have developed in situ by admixture of early Indo-European groups arriving in Europe by the Bronze Age (Corded ware, Beaker people). The Finnic peoples are indigenous to northeastern Europe.

Reconstructed languages of Iron Age Europe include Proto-Celtic, Proto-Italic and Proto-Germanic, all of these Indo-European languages of the centum group, and Proto-Slavic and Proto-Baltic, of the satem group. A group of Tyrrhenian languages appears to have included Etruscan, Rhaetian and perhaps also Eteocretan and Eteocypriot. A pre-Roman stage of Proto-Basque can only be reconstructed with great uncertainty.

Regarding the European Bronze Age, the only secure reconstruction is that of Proto-Greek (ca. 2000 BC). A Proto-Italo-Celtic ancestor of both Italic and Celtic (assumed for the Bell beaker period), and a Proto-Balto-Slavic language (assumed for roughly the Corded Ware horizon) has been postulated with less confidence. Old European hydronymy has been taken as indicating an early (Bronze Age) Indo-European predecessor of the later centum languages.

Historical populations

Further information: History of Europe
Provinces of the Roman Empire in AD 117.

Iron Age (pre-Great Migrations) populations of Europe known from Greco-Roman historiography, notably Herodotus, Pliny, Ptolemy and Tacitus:

Historical immigration

Further information: Scythians, Huns, Turkic expansion, and Islamic conquests
The Great Migrations of Late Antiquity.
Map showing the three main political divisions around 800: The Carolingian Empire (purple), the Byzantine Empire (orange) and the Caliphate of Córdoba (light green). (Borders are approximate.)

Ethno-linguistic groups that arrived from outside Europe during historical times are:

History of European ethnography

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Europa Polyglotta, Linguarum Genealogiam exhibens, una cum Literis, Scribendique modis, Omnium Gentium ("multilingual Europe, exhibiting a genealogy of tongues together with the letters and modes of writing of all peoples")
Ethnographic map of Europe, The Times Atlas (1896)

The earliest accounts of European ethnography date to Classical Antiquity. Herodotus described the Scythians and Thraco-Illyrians. Dicaearchus gave a description of Greece itself besides accounts of western and northern Europe. His work survives only fragmentarily, but was received by Polybius and others. Roman Empire period authors include Diodorus Siculus, Strabo and Tacitus. Julius Caesar gives an account of the Celtic tribes of Gaul, while Tacitus describes the Germanic tribes of Magna Germania. The 4th century Tabula Peutingeriana records the names of numerous peoples and tribes. Ethnographers of Late Antiquity such as Agathias of Myrina Ammianus Marcellinus, Jordanes or Theophylact Simocatta give early accounts of the Slavs, the Franks, the Alamanni and the Goths.

Book IX of Isidore's Etymologiae (7th century) treats de linguis, gentibus, regnis, militia, civibus (of languages, peoples, realms, armies and cities". Ahmad ibn Fadlan in the 10th century gives an account of the peoples of Eastern Europe, in particular the Bolghar and the Rus'. William Rubruck, while most notable for his account of the Mongols, in his account of his journey to Asia also gives accounts of the Tatars and the Alans. Saxo Grammaticus and Adam of Bremen give an account of pre-Christian Scandinavia. The Chronicon Slavorum (12th century) gives an account of the northwestern Slavic tribes.

Gottfried Hensel in his 1741 Synopsis universae philologiae published what is probably the earliest ethno-linguistic map of Europe, showing the beginning of the pater noster in the various European languages and scripts. In the 19th century, ethnicity was discussed in terms of scientific racism, and the ethnic groups of Europe were grouped into a number of "races", Mediterranean, Alpine and Nordic, all part of a larger "Caucasian" group. The beginnings of ethnic geography as an academic subdiscipline lie in the period following World War I, in the context of nationalism, and in the 1930s exploitation for the purposes of fascist and Nazi propaganda so that it was only in the 1960s that ethnic geography began to thrive as a bona fide academic subdiscipline. The origins of modern ethnography are often traced to the work of Bronisław Malinowski who emphasized the importance of fieldwork. The emergence of population genetics further undermined the categorisation of Europeans into clearly defined racial groups. A 2007 study on the genetic history of Europe found that the most important genetic differentiation in Europe occurs on a line from the north to the south-east (northern Europe to the Balkans), with another east-west axis of differentiation across Europe, separating the "indigenous" Basques and Sami from other European populations. Despite these stratifications it noted the unusually high degree of European homogeneity: "there is low apparent diversity in Europe with the entire continent-wide samples only marginally more dispersed than single population samples elsewhere in the world."

Indigenous minorities

Further information: Definitions and identity of indigenous peoples
A Sami family in northern Scandinavia around 1900

In a more narrow sense of "indigenous peoples", ethnic minorities marginalized by historical expansion of their neighbour populations, Europe's present-day indigenous populations are relatively few, mainly confined to northern and far-eastern reaches of this Eurasian peninsula. Whilst there are numerous ethnic minorities distributed within European countries, few of these still maintain traditional subsistence cultures and are recognized as indigenous peoples, per se. The following groups can be considered "indigenous peoples" of Europe in this narrow sense:

European identity and culture

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Personifications of Sclavinia, Germania, Gallia, and Roma, bringing offerings to Otto III; from a gospel book dated 990.
Main articles: European culture, Western world, Christendom, and Pan-European identity

The culture of Europe might better be described as a series of overlapping cultures. Whether it is a question of West as opposed to East; Christianity as opposed to Islam; many have claimed to identify cultural fault lines across the continent.

European culture has had a very broad influence on the rest of the world, basically due to the widespread practice and legacy of colonialism. The exchange has not all been one way, some European features have been drastically changed by imports from elsewhere. Popular European foods such as chips (frites or French fries) and rice are derived from products that are not European, but indigenous to South America and Southern Asia respectively. Nearly all of the Americas and all of Africa were European colonies at one time or another - though in earlier times, European nations often colonized each other. Or were even colonized by Non-Europeans - Arabs and North African Moors colonized the Iberian peninsula leaving, for example, a significant Arabic influence on the Spanish language.

Various parts of the Americas are also considered overseas territories of France which are considered integral parts of the French Republic. A large proportion of the population of the Americas are descended from European emigrants (in some cases fleeing harsh economic times or religious intolerance). As a consequence most people in the Americas speak languages that are to varying degrees, derived from European languages. These include Latin American Spanish, American English, Caribbean English, Brazilian Portuguese, Haitian Kreyol and Papiamento. There are still significant cultural, economic and political ties between the former European colonial nations (Spain, Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium and France) and the former colonies around the world.

Pan-European identity refers to both the sense of personal identification with Europe, and to the identity possessed by 'Europe' as a whole. 'Europe' is widely used as a synonym for the European Union even though there are millions of people living on the European continent in non-EU states. The prefix pan implies that the identity applies throughout Europe, and especially in an EU context, 'pan-European' is often contrasted with national.

Religion

Predominant religions in Europe   Roman Catholicism   Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy   Protestantism   Sunni Islam   Shia Islam   Buddhism (Kalmykia)
Main article: Religion in Europe

Since the High Middle Ages, most of Europe has been dominated by Christianity. There are three major denominations, Roman Catholic, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox, with Protestantism restricted mostly to Germanic regions, and Orthodoxy to Slavic regions, Romania, Greece and Georgia. Catholicism, while centered in the Latin parts, has a significant following also in Germanic, Slavic and Celtic regions.

Islam has some tradition in the Balkans (the European dominions of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th to 19th centuries), in Albania, Former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Turkish East Thrace. European Russia has the largest Muslim community, including the Tatars of the Middle Volga and multiple groups in the Caucasus, including Chechens, Avars, Ingush and others. With 20th century migrations, Muslims in Western Europe have become a noticeable minority.

Judaism has a long history in Europe, but is a small minority religion, with France (1%) the only European country with a Jewish population in excess of 0.5%. The Jewish population of Europe is comprised primarily of two groups, the Ashkenazi and the Sephardi. Ashkenazi Jews migrated to Europe as early as the 8th century, while Sephardi Jews established themselves in Spain and Portugal at least one thousand years before that. Jewish European history was notably affected by the Holocaust and resulting emigration in the 20th century.

In modern times, significant secularization has taken place, notably in laicist France in the 19th century and in Communist Eastern Europe in the 20th century. Currently, distribution of theism in Europe is very heterogeneous, with more than 95% in Poland, and less than 20% in the Czech Republic. The 2005 Eurobarometer poll found that 52% of EU citizens believe in God.

Immigration

Main article: Immigration to Europe Further information: Islam in Europe, Muslims in Western Europe, Hinduism in Europe, and Buddhism in Europe Further information: Asian Europeans Further information: Afro-Europeans

Populations of non-European origin in Europe (approx. 22 - 29+ million, or approx. 3% to 4%+ , out of a total population of approx. 730 million):

  • Middle East
    • Turks: approx. 6 million (outside of the Republic of Turkey), mostly in German speaking countries and the Balkans, but found in sizeable communities throughout Europe.
    • Jews: approx. 2 million (both religious and non-religious persons by ethnoreligious descent), found throughout Europe.
    • Armenians (sometimes considered European, see above): approx. 1.5 million. The largest communities are found in France, Russia, Ukraine and the UK.
    • Kurds: approx. 1.5 million, mostly in Germany and Sweden.
    • Aramean-Syriac people: approx. 130,000, mostly in Sweden.
    • Lebanese diaspora: especially in France, Netherlands, Germany, Cyprus and the UK.
  • Africa
  • Latin Americans (mainly Mestizos): approx. 2.2 million, with the largest groups in Spain and Italy.
    • Plus Latin American Britons number between 80,000 and 1 million and are of European, African, Native South American and many other races.
    • Brazilians: 200,000 - 300,000 in the UK, around 70,000 in Portugal and Italy each
    • Chilean refugees escaping the Augusto Pinochet regime of the 1970s formed communities in France, Sweden, the former East Germany and the Netherlands.
  • South Asians (many ethnicities): approx. 3 - 4 million, mostly in the UK but reside in smaller numbers in Germany and France.
    • Indians: Between 1 and 2 million, mostly in the UK
    • Pakistanis: approx. 1,000,000, mostly in the UK.
    • Tamils: approx. 250,000, predominantly in the UK.
    • Bangladeshi residing in Europe estimated at 200,000, the bulk live in the UK.
  • East Asia

European diasporas

Further information: History of colonialism

Nations and regions outside of Europe with significant populations of European ancestry:

Historical

Contemporary

Further information: History of colonialism and Greater Europe

Nations and regions outside of Europe with significant populations of European ancestry :

National diasporas:

Further information: List of diasporas

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References

  1. Christoph Pan, Beate Sibylle Pfeil,Minderheitenrechte in Europa. Handbuch der europäischen Volksgruppen (2002).
  2. Pan and Pfeil (2004) give 122 million for Europe and Asia taken together.
  3. Germans in Germany; Pan and Pfeil (2004) give 89 million for all German-speaking groups.
  4. Recensement officiel de l'Insee ; Pan and Pfeil (2004) give 55 million for the French-speaking groups, excluding the Occitans.
  5. including Corsicans
  6. CIA Factbook, United Kingdom Census 2001
  7. Pan and Pfeil give 31 million, excluding Catalans, Valencians, Basques and Galicians
  8. Pan, Christoph; Pfeil, Beate S. (2003). "The Peoples of Europe by Demographic Size, Table 1". National Minorities in Europe: Handbook. Wien: Braumueller. p. 11f. ISBN 978-3-7003-1443-1. (a breakdown by country of these 87 groups is given in Table 5, pp. 17–31.)
  9. unless otherwise indicated, population figures are those of Pan and Pfeil (2004)
  10. European Russia only; 122 million in all of Russia.
  11. CIA Factbook, United Kingdom Census 2001
  12. Pan and Pfeil (2004) give 3.8 million. High estimates range up to 10 million.
  13. CIA factbook. Turkey is a transcontinentalc country, with 80% of its population Turkish and 20% Kurdish.
  14. CIA factbook Statistics for Germany.
  15. Turkish Statistical Institute
  16. As a transcontinental country, Georgia may be considered to be in Asia and/or Europe. The UN classification of world regions places Georgia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , National Geographic, and Encyclopædia Britannica also place Georgia in Asia. Conversely, numerous sources place Georgia in Europe such as the BBC , Oxford Reference Online , Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, and www.worldatlas.com.
  17. Ethnic groups which form the majority in two states are the Vlachs (in Romania and Moldova), and the Albanians (in Albania and the partly-recognized Republic of Kosovo). Closely related groups holding majorities in separate states are German speakers (Germans, Austrians, Luxembourgers, Swiss German speakers), the Serbo-Croats in the states of Former Yugoslavia, the Dutch/Flemish, the Russians/Belarusians and the Bulgarians/Macedonians.
  18. including the European portions of Russia, not including Turkey, Georgia and Kazakhstan, excluding microstates with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants: Andorra, Holy See, Liechtenstein, Monaco and San Marino.
  19. percentages from the CIA Factbook unless indicated otherwise.
  20. note: percents represent citizenship, since Greece does not collect data on ethnicity
  21. http://www.populstat.info/Europe/maltag.htm
  22. excluding Kosovo and Metohija
  23. My Jewish Learning - European Origins
  24. Almoravides - LoveToKnow 1911
  25. Spain - AL ANDALUS, U.S. Library of Congress
  26. The Last Christians Of North-West Africa
  27. Synopsis universae philologiae at google books
  28. Karl Friedrich Vollgraff, Erster Versuch einer Begründung sowohl der allgemeinen Ethnologie durch die Anthropologie, wis auch der Staats und rechts-philosophie durch die Ethnologie oder Nationalität der Völker (1851), p. 257.
  29. A. Kumar, Encyclopaedia of Teaching of Geography (2002), p. 74 ff.; the tripartite subdivision of "Caucasians" into Nordic, Alpine and Mediterranean groups persisted among some scientists into the 1960s, notably in Carleton Coon's book The Origin of Races (1962).
  30. Andrew Barry, Political Machines (2001), p. 56
  31. Measuring European Population Stratification using Microarray Genotype Data
  32. "[[DNA heritage]]". Retrieved 2007-07-20. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  33. Dupanloup, Isabelle. "Estimating the Impact of Prehistoric Admixture on the Genome of Europeans". Retrieved 2007-07-20. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  34. see also Definitions and identity of indigenous peoples.
  35. ReportDGResearchSocialValuesEN2.PDF
  36. Youths bring violence from a war-torn land
  37. France's blacks stand up to be counted
  38. Latin American Immigration to Southern Europe
  39. Born Abroad - Countries of birth, BBC News
  40. ^ Ethnic groups by country. Statistics (where available) from CIA Factbook.
  41. Western North Africa, 1–500 A.D., The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  42. Archaeologists Find Celts In Unlikely Spot: Turkey, New York Times
  43. The Mummies of Xinjiang, DISCOVER Magazine
  44. A meeting of civilisations: The mystery of China's celtic mummies, The Independent
  45. Diversity in the Desert: Daily Life in Greek and Roman Egypt, 332 B.C.E. - 641 C.E.
  46. Alexander the Great and precious stones in Afghanistan, The Toronto Times
  47. Cyril and Methodius of Thessalonica: The Acculturation of the Slavs
  48. The Fate of Greenland's Vikings
  49. Benjamin Z. Kedar, "The Subjected Muslims of the Frankish Levant", in The Crusades: The Essential Readings, ed. Thomas F. Madden, Blackwell, 2002, pg. 244. Originally published in Muslims Under Latin Rule, 1100-1300, ed. James M. Powell, Princeton University Press, 1990. Kedar quotes his numbers from Joshua Prawer, Histoire du royaume latin de Jérusalem, tr. G. Nahon, Paris, 1969, vol. 1, pp. 498, 568-72.
  50. Crusaders 'left genetic legacy', BBC News
  51. South Africa: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  52. Namibia: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  53. Réunion Island
  54. Botswana: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  55. Senegal, About 50,000 Europeans (mostly French) and Lebanese reside in Senegal, mainly in the cities.
  56. Swaziland: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  57. Morocco: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  58. Tunisia: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  59. Fiona Hill, Russia — Coming In From the Cold?, The Globalist, 23 February 2004
  60. Robert Greenall, Russians left behind in Central Asia, BBC News, 23 November 2005.
  61. Kyrgyzstan: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  62. Turkmenistan: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  63. Southern Caucasus: Facing Integration Problems, Ethnic Russians Long For Better Life
  64. Georgia: Ethnic Russians Feel Insulated From Tensions, Radio Free Europe
  65. HK Census. "HK Census." Statistical Table. Retrieved on 2007-03-08.
  66. Crusaders 'left genetic legacy', BBC NEWS | Science/Nature
  67. Greenland
  68. Canadian Census 2006
  69. North America - Britannica Concise Encyclopedia - The online encyclopedia you can trust!
  70. Mexico :: Ethnic groups - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
  71. Mexico: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  72. Argentina: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  73. Bahamas: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  74. Barbados: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  75. Bermuda: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  76. Bolivia: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  77. Brazil: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  78. "5.2.6. Estructura racial". La Universidad de Chile. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  79. Colombia: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  80. "Costa Rica; People; Ethnic groups". CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 2007-11-21. white (including mestizo) 94% = 3.9 million whites and mestizos
  81. "Tabla II.3 Población por color de la piel y grupos de edades, según zona de residencia y sexo". Censo de Población y Viviendas (in Spanish). Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas. 2002. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  82. Dominican Republic: People: Ethnic groups. World Factbook of CIA
  83. "Ecuador: People; Ethnic groups". CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  84. El Salvador: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  85. French Guiana: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  86. Martinique: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  87. "Nicaragua: People; Ethnic groups". CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 2007-11-15. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  88. "Panama; People; Ethnic groups". CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 2007-11-21. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  89. Puerto Rico: People: Ethnic Groups World Factbook of CIA
  90. Peru: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  91. Trinidad French Creole
  92. Uruguay: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  93. Fact Sheet on St. Barthélemy
  94. French Polynesia: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA
  95. Brazil: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA

Bibliography

  • Andrews, Peter A.; Benninghaus, Rüdiger (2002), Ethnic Groups in the Republic of Turkey, Reichert, ISBN 3895003255
  • Marcus Banks, Ethnicity: Anthropological Constructions, Routledge (1996).
  • Cole, J. W., Wolf, E. R., The Hidden Frontier: Ecology and Ethnicity in an Alpine Valley, University of California Press; (1999), ISBN 978-0520216815.
  • Dow, R. R., Bockhorn, O., The Study of European Ethnology in Austria, Progress in European Ethnology, Ashgate Publishing (2004), ISBN 978-0754617471.
  • Eberhardt, Piotr; Owsinski, Jan (2003), Ethnic Groups and Population Changes in Twentieth-century Central Eastern Europe, M.E. Sharpe, ISBN 0765606658
  • Gresham, D.; et al. (2001), "Origins and divergence of the Roma (Gypsies)", American Journal of Human Genetics, 69 (6): 1314–1331 {{citation}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |first= (help) Online article
  • Karolewski, Ireneusz Pawel; Kaina, Viktoria (2006), European Identity: Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Insights, LIT Verlag, ISBN 3825892883
  • Jordan, T. G., The European culture area: A systematic geography (2nd ed.). New York: Harper and Row (1988).
  • Latham, Robert Gordon (1854), The Native Races of the Russian Empire, Hippolyte Baillière (London) Full text on google books
  • Laitin, David D. (2000), Culture and National Identity: "the East" and European Integration, Robert Schuman Centre
  • Gross, Manfred (2004), Romansh: Facts & Figures, Lia Rumantscha, ISBN 3039000373 Online version
  • Levinson, David (1998), Ethnic Groups Worldwide: A Ready Reference Handbook, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 9781573560191 part I: Europe, pp. 1-100.
  • E. J. Hobsbawm and David J. Kertzer, "Ethnicity and Nationalism in Europe Today", Anthropology Today, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Feb., 1992), pp. 3-8.
  • Panikos Panayi, Outsiders: A History of European Minorities (London: Hambledon Press, 1999)
  • Olson, James Stuart; Pappas, Lee Brigance; Pappas, Nicholas Charles (1994), An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of the Russian and Soviet Empire, Greenwood, ISBN 0313274975
  • Panayi, Panikos (1999), An Ethnic History of Europe Since 1945: Nations, States and Minorities, Longman, ISBN 0582381355
  • Parman, S. (ed.), Europe in the Anthropological Imagination, Prentice Hall (1998).
  • Stephens (1976), Linguistic Minorities in Western Europe, Gomer Press, ISBN 0608187593 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |fist= ignored (help)
  • Szaló, Csaba (1998), On European Identity: Nationalism, Culture & History, ISBN 8021018399 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |publsiher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help)
  • Stone, Gerald (1972), The Smallest Slavonic Nation: The Sorbs of Lusatia, Athlene Press, ISBN 0485111292
  • Vembulu, R. Pavananthi (2003), Understanding European Integration: History, Culture, and Politics of Identity, Aakar Books, ISBN 8187879106

See also

External links

Links to related articles
Ethnic groups in Europe
Sovereign states
States with limited
recognition
Dependencies and
other entities
Indigenous peoples of the world by continent

Location of Africa
Africa

Location of Eurasia
Eurasia

Location of North America
North America

Location of Oceania
Oceania

Location of South America
South America

Indigenous peoples by geographic regions
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