The largest nation in the world. National composition of the world's population
No science yet gives precise definition such a concept as “people”, but everyone understands by this concept a large community of people living compactly in a certain territory.
The science of ethnography, which studies peoples and ethnic groups, including the most numerous peoples, identifies today from 2.4 to 2.7 thousand nationalities living on earth. But in such a delicate matter, ethnographers can rely on statistical data, which put the figure at 5 and a half thousand peoples on Earth.
No less interesting is ethnogenesis, which studies the emergence and development of various ethnic groups. Let's imagine in small review the largest nations that emerged in ancient times, and their total number exceeds 100 million people.
Chinese (1,320 million)
Generalized concept " Chinese people"includes all residents of China, including people of other nationalities, as well as those who have Chinese citizenship but live abroad.
Nevertheless, the Chinese people are the largest, both in the concept of “nation” and in the concept of “nationality”. Today, there are 1 billion 320 million Chinese living in the world, which is 19% of the total population of the planet. So, the list of the largest nations in the world, by all indicators, is rightfully headed by the Chinese.
Although in fact, those whom we call “Chinese” are ethnically representatives of the Han people. China is a multinational country.
The very name of the people is “Han”, which means “ Milky Way”, and comes from the name of the country “Celestial Empire”. This is also the most ancient people A land whose roots go back to the distant past. The Han people in China make up the absolute majority, about 92% of the country's population.
Interesting Facts:
- The Chinese Zhuang people, who are a national minority in the country, number about 18 million people, which is comparable to the population of Kazakhstan and larger than the population of the Netherlands.
- Another Chinese people, Huizu, has a population of about 10.5 million, which is earlier than the population of countries such as Belgium, Tunisia, the Czech Republic or Portugal.
Arabs (330-340 million)
The Arabs, who occupy second place, are defined in ethnographic science as a group of nationalities, but from the point of view of ethnogenesis, they are one people of the Semitic language group.
The nation developed in the Middle Ages, when the Arabs settled in the Middle East and northern Africa. They all have one thing in common Arabic and a unique writing system - Arabic script. The people have long gone beyond the boundaries of their historical homeland, and modern stage, due to various circumstances, settled in other regions globe.
Today the number of Arabs is estimated at 330-340 million people. They mostly adhere to Islam, but there are also Christians.
Did you know that:
- There are more Arabs living in Brazil than in the United Arab Emirates.
- Arabs consider the gesture to be a sexually suggestive insult.
Americans (317 million)
Here shining example, when it is possible to accurately define the people, with the practically non-existent concept of “American nation”. In a narrow sense, this is a group of different nationalities that make up the population of the United States and have American citizenship.
Over its 200-year history, it has developed unified culture, mentality, mutual language, used in communication, which allows you to unite the population of the United States into one people.
Today there are 317 million US Americans. For the indigenous population of America, Indians, the name Americans may be used, but in terms of ethnic identification this is a completely different ethnic group.
Hindustani (265 million)
On this moment Hindustanis settled compactly in three neighboring countries in the South-Eastern region of the planet - India, Nepal and Pakistan.
As for India, the largest number of them live in the northern part of the state. In total, ethnology numbers about 265 million Hindustanis, and their main language of communication is various dialects of the Hindi language.
It is interesting that of the related nationalities, the gypsies and Dravidians inhabiting the southern regions of India are closest to them.
Bengalis (over 250 million)
Among the numerous peoples, the Bengalis, numbering more than 250 million, also occupy a leading position. They mostly live in Asian countries, but there are small diasporas in the USA and Great Britain, and they also exist in other European countries.
Behind centuries-old history Bengalis have retained their national culture, identity and language, as well as their main occupations. In the Asian region, they live mainly in rural areas, as they have been engaged in agriculture since ancient times.
The Bengali language is one of the most complex on earth; it was formed as a result of the synthesis of the Indo-Aryan language and numerous local dialects.
Brazilians (197 million)
A group of different ethnic groups living in Latin America have formed into a single Brazilian people. There are currently about 197 million Brazilians, most of who live in Brazil itself.
The people went through a difficult path of ethnogenesis, which began to take shape as a result of the European conquest of the South American continent. Indian nationalities lived intermixed over vast territories, and with the arrival of Europeans, most of them were destroyed, the rest assimilated.
And so it happened that the religion of the Brazilians became Catholicism, and the language of communication became Portuguese.
Russians (about 150 million)
The name of the most numerous people of Russia occurred as a result of the transition of the adjective “Russian people”, “Russian people” into the generalizing noun “Russians”, in the concept of people.
Modern statistical studies indicate that there are about 150 million Russians on Earth, most of whom live in Russia. Most numerous people Russia belongs to language group East Slavic languages, and today more than 180 million people consider Russian their native language.
Russians are almost homogeneous in anthropological terms, although they are settled over a large territory and are divided into several ethnographic groups. The ethnos emerged during the development of the Russian state from different ethnic groups of the Slavs.
Interesting fact: Largest quantity Russians abroad Russian Federation and countries former USSR located in Germany (∼ 3.7 million) and in the USA (∼ 3 million).
Mexicans (148 million)
Mexicans, who number about 148 million people, are united by a common territory of residence, a single Spanish communication, as well as an amazing national culture that has developed on the basis of the heritage ancient civilizations Central America.
This people is also a vivid example of duality, since those Mexicans who live in the United States can simultaneously be considered Americans.
The people are also unique in that they are Latin Americans by ethnicity, but their language of communication classifies them as a Romance group. It is also the fastest growing nation on our planet.
Japanese (132 million)
There are 132 million conservative Japanese on Earth, and they live mainly in their historical homeland. After World War II, some Japanese settled around the world, and now only 3 million people live outside Japan.
The Japanese people are distinguished by isolation, high diligence, special treatment to the historical past and national culture. Over many centuries, the Japanese have managed to preserve and, most importantly, increase their heritage, both spiritual and material and technical.
The Japanese treat foreigners in a special way, with some suspicion, and are reluctant to allow them into their lives.
Punjabis (130 million)
Another of the largest nations lives compactly in the territories of India and Pakistan. Of the 130 million Punjabis in the Asian regions, a small portion settled in Europe and Africa.
For many centuries, the hardworking people created an extensive irrigation system for irrigated fields, and their main occupation has always been agriculture.
It was the Punjabis who were one of the first peoples on earth to create a highly developed and cultural civilization in the valleys of Indian rivers. But, as a result of cruel colonial policies, much of the heritage of this people was lost.
Biharis (115 million)
The amazing Bihari people, living mainly in the Indian state of Bihar, today number about 115 million people. A small part settled in other Indian states and neighboring countries.
Modern representatives of the people are direct descendants of those. Who created the first agricultural civilizations on Earth in the Indus and Ganges valleys.
Today, there is an active process of urbanization of Biharis, and, leaving their main occupations and ancient crafts and trades, they are moving en masse to cities.
Javanese (105 million)
Last big people land, whose population exceeds 100 million people. According to the latest data from ethnology and statistics, there are about 105 million Javanese people on the planet.
IN XIX century data on the origin were provided only by the Russian ethnographer and traveler Miklouho-Maclay, but today quite a lot is known about the ethnogenesis of the Javanese.
They settled mainly on the islands of Oceania, and are the indigenous population of the large island of Java and the state of Indonesia. Over many centuries they have created a unique and inimitable culture.
Thais (over 90 million)
Just by the name of the ethnic group, it is clear that the Thais are the indigenous population of the kingdom of Thailand, and today there are more than 90 million of them.
The etymology of the origin of the word “tai” is interesting, which in local dialects means “ free man" Ethnographers and archaeologists, studying the culture of the Thais, have determined that it was formed during the early Middle Ages.
Among other nations, this nation is distinguished by its sincere love, sometimes bordering on fanaticism, for theatrical art.
Koreans (83 million)
The people formed many centuries ago and at one time populated the Korean Peninsula of Asia. They managed to create a highly developed culture, and carefully protect national traditions.
The total number of people is 83 million, but the confrontation led to the formation of two states with one ethnic group, which is an unresolved tragedy for the Koreans today.
More than 65 million Koreans live in South Korea, the rest in North Korea, and also settled in other Asian and European countries.
Marathi (83 million)
India, among all its uniqueness, is also the record holder for the number of numerous nationalities living on its territory. For example, in the state of Maharashtra lives amazing people Marakhti.
A very talented people, people from whom occupy high positions in India, Indian film filled with marakhti.
In addition, the Marakhti are a very purposeful and united ethnic group, which in the 50s of the twentieth century achieved the creation of their own state, and today, numbering 83 million people, this is the main population of the Indian state.
European peoples
It is worth separately touching upon the largest peoples of Europe, among which the leaders are the descendants of the ancient Germans, the Germans, whose number, according to various sources, ranges from 80 to 95 million. Second place is firmly held by Italians, of whom there are 75 million on earth. But the French are firmly established in third place, with a population of about 65 million.
Large nations living on the globe, however, like small ones, have their own cultural and national traditions that have developed over a long historical process.
Today, the process of erasing ethnic and national boundaries is increasingly observed. There are practically no mono-national states left on Earth, it’s just that in each of them there is one dominant nation, and all the different national people are united under the general concept of “resident of the country.”
Chinese actor and director Jackie Chan
In second place among the most large nations The lands are Arabs, of which there are currently about 350 million people.
In fifth place among the largest nations on the planet are Bengalis- the main population of the state of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal in India. Total number There are more than 250 million Bengalis in the world (about 150 million in Bangladesh and about 100 million in India).
Indian writer and poet Rabindranath Tagore, Bengali by nationality
Bengal girl
In sixth place among the largest nations on Earth are Brazilians(193 million people) - a nation that was formed in the same way as the American nation - by mixing different ethnic groups.
Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho
The seventh largest people on the planet - Mexicans, of which there are 156 million people in the world, of which 121 million people. live in Mexico and 34.6 million in the USA. Using the example of the Mexicans, one can note the convention of dividing people into nations. Those Mexicans who live in the United States can be considered both Mexican and American.
Mexican Ximena Navarrete - Miss Universe 2010
Mexican footballer Rafael Marquez, captain of the Mexico national team
The eighth largest people on Earth - Russians, of which there are about 150 million people in the world, of which 116 million live in Russia, 8.3 million in Ukraine, 3.8 million in Kazakhstan. Russians are the largest people in Europe.
Russian actress Irina Ivanovna Alferova
The ninth largest nation in the world is Japanese(130 million people).
Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki
Rounding out the top ten largest nations on Earth Punjabis. There are 120 million Punjabis in the world, of which 76 million are lives in Pakistan and 29 million in India.
14th largest people in the world - Marathi(80 million people) - the main population of the Indian state of Maharashtra.
Indian actress Madhuri Dixit from the Maratha people
15th largest people on Earth - Tamils, of which there are 77 million people in the world, of which 63 million live in India.
Indian actress Vyjayanthimala, Tamil by nationality
Indian chess player Viswanathan Anand (Tamil by nationality), current champion world chess.
There are approximately the same number of Tamils as there are Tamils (77 million people) in the world. Vietnamese(Viets).
There are also at least 75 million people Telugu- the main population of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
There are about 70 million people Thais- the main population of Thailand.
Thai Piyaporn Deejin, Miss Thailand 2008
Another large nation - Germans. There are 65 million Germans in Germany. If we also count persons German origin, then we get a more impressive figure - 150 million people. For example, in the United States, 48 million people have German ancestry, making them the largest ethnic group among Americans.
German actress Diane Kruger
Only on the territory of Russia live 65 small peoples, and the number of some of them does not exceed a thousand people. There are hundreds of similar peoples on Earth, and each carefully preserves its customs, language and culture.
Our top ten today includes the smallest peoples in the world.
This small people lives on the territory of Dagestan, and its population is only 443 people as of the end of 2010. For a long time The Ginukh people were not identified as a separate ethnic group, since the Ginukh language was considered only one of the dialects of the Tsez language widespread in Dagestan.
9. Selkups
Until the 1930s, representatives of this West Siberian people were called Ostyak-Samoyeds. The number of Selkups is just over 4 thousand people. They live mainly in the Tyumen and Tomsk regions, as well as the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug
8. Nganasans
This people lives on the Taimyr Peninsula, and their number is about 800 people. Nganasany is the most northern people in Eurasia. Until the middle of the 20th century, the people led a nomadic lifestyle, driving herds of deer over vast distances; today the Nganasans live sedentary lives.
7. Orochons
The place of residence of this small ethnic group is China and Mongolia. The population is about 7 thousand people. The history of the people goes back more than a thousand years, and the Orochons are mentioned in many documents dating back to the early Chinese imperial dynasties.
6. Evenks
This indigenous people of Russia lives in Eastern Siberia. These people are the most numerous in our top ten - their numbers are quite sufficient to populate a small town. There are about 35 thousand Evenks in the world.
5. Chum salmon
Kets live in the north Krasnoyarsk region. The number of this people is less than 1500 people. Until the middle of the 20th century, representatives of the ethnic group were called Ostyaks, as well as Yeniseians. The Ket language belongs to the group of Yenisei languages.
4. Chulym people
The number of this indigenous people of Russia is 355 people as of 2010. Despite the fact that most of the Chulym people recognize Orthodoxy, the ethnic group carefully preserves some traditions of shamanism. Chulyms live mainly in the Tomsk region. It is interesting that the Chulym language does not have a written language.
3. Basins
The number of this people living in Primorye is only 276 people. The Taz language is a mixture of one of the Chinese dialects with the Nanai language. Now this language is spoken by less than half of those who consider themselves to be Taz.
2. Livs
This one is extremely small people lives in Latvia. From time immemorial, the main occupations of the Livs were piracy, fishing and hunting. Today the people have almost completely assimilated. According to official data, there are only 180 Livs left.
1. Pitcairns
This people is the smallest in the world and lives on the small island of Pitcairn in Oceania. The number of Pitcairns is about 60 people. All of them are descendants of the sailors of the British warship Bounty, who landed here in 1790. The Pitcairn language is a mixture of simplified English, Tahitian and maritime vocabulary.
This article presents the largest nations of the Earth, whose number exceeds 50 million people. It is worth noting that out of the 24 largest nations in the world, India is represented by 9 peoples (Hindustani, Bengalis, Punjabis, Biharis, Marathas, Tamils, Telugus, Gujaratis, Sindhis).
The largest people on Earth - Chinese(self-name - Han), of whom there are currently 1 billion 310 million people. This represents 19% of the total population of our planet.
Chinese actor and director Jackie Chan
In second place among the largest nations on Earth are Arabs, of which there are currently about 350 million people.
In fifth place among the largest nations on the planet are Bengalis- the main population of the state of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal in India. The total number of Bengalis in the world is more than 250 million (about 150 million in Bangladesh and about 100 million in India).
Indian writer and poet Rabindranath Tagore, Bengali by nationality
Bengal girl
In sixth place among the largest nations on Earth are Brazilians(193 million people) - a nation that was formed in the same way as the American nation - by mixing different ethnic groups.
Brazilian fashion model Camila Alves
Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho
The seventh largest people on Earth - Russians, of which there are about 150 million people in the world, of which 116 million live in Russia, 8.3 million in Ukraine, 3.8 million in Kazakhstan. Russians are the largest people in Europe.
The eighth largest people on the planet - Mexicans, of which there are 147 million people in the world, of which 112 million people. live in Mexico and 32 million in the USA. Using the example of the Mexicans, one can note the convention of dividing people into nations. The 32 million Mexicans who live in the United States can be considered both Mexican and American.
Mexican Ximena Navarrete - Miss Universe 2010
Mexican footballer Rafael Marquez, captain of the Mexico national team
The ninth largest nation in the world is Japanese(130 million people).
Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki
Rounding out the top ten largest nations on Earth Punjabis. There are 120 million Punjabis in the world, of which 76 million are lives in Pakistan and 29 million in India.
14th largest people in the world - Marathi(80 million people) - the main population of the Indian state of Maharashtra.
Indian actress Madhuri Dixit is from the Maratha people.
15th largest people on Earth - Tamils, of which there are 77 million people in the world, of which 63 million live in India.
Indian actress Vyjayanthimala, Tamil by nationality
Indian chess player Viswanathan Anand (Tamil by nationality), current world chess champion.
There are approximately the same number of Tamils as there are Tamils (77 million people) in the world. Vietnamese(Viets).
Vietnamese dancer, singer, actress and fashion model Ngo Thanh Van
Another large nation - Germans. There are 75 million Germans in Germany. If we also count people of German origin, we get a more impressive figure - 150 million people. For example, in the United States, 60 million people have German ancestry, making them the largest ethnic group among Americans.
German actress Diane Kruger
There are also at least 75 million people Telugu- the main population of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
The concept of “ethnicity” includes a historically established stable group of people who have a certain number of common subjective or objective characteristics. Ethnographic scientists include these characteristics as origin, language, cultural and economic characteristics, mentality and self-awareness, phenotypic and genotypic data, as well as the territory of long-term residence.
The word "ethnicity" has Greek roots and is literally translated as “people”. The word “nationality” can be considered a synonym for this definition in Russian. The term “ethnos” was introduced into scientific terminology in 1923 by the Russian scientist S.M. Shirokogorov. He gave the first definition of this word.
How does the formation of an ethnic group occur?
The ancient Greeks adopted the word “ethnos” designate other peoples who were not Greeks. Long time in Russian the word “people” was used as an analogue. Definition of S.M. Shirokogorova made it possible to emphasize the commonality of culture, relationships, traditions, way of life and language.
Modern science allows us to interpret this concept from 2 points of view:
The origin and formation of any ethnic group implies great length of time. Most often this formation occurs around specific language or religious beliefs. Based on this, we often pronounce phrases such as “ Christian culture", "Islamic world", "Romance group of languages".
The main conditions for the emergence of an ethnic group are the presence common territory and language. These same factors further serve as supporting factors and main distinctive features one or another ethnic group.
Additional factors influencing the formation of an ethnic group include:
- General religious beliefs.
- Intimacy from a racial perspective.
- The presence of transitional interracial groups (mestizo).
Factors that unite an ethnic group include:
- Specific features material and spiritual culture.
- Community of life.
- Group psychological characteristics.
- General awareness of oneself and the idea of a common origin.
- The presence of an ethnonym - a self-name.
Ethnicity is essentially a complex dynamic system, which is constantly undergoing processes of transformation and at the same time maintains its stability.
The culture of each ethnic group maintains a certain constancy and at the same time changes over time from one era to another. Peculiarities national culture and self-knowledge, religious and spiritual-moral values leave an imprint on the nature of the biological self-reproduction of the ethnic group.
Features of the existence of ethnic groups and their patterns
The historically formed ethnic group acts as a holistic social organism and has the following ethnic relations:
- Self-reproduction occurs through repeated homogeneous marriages and the transmission from generation to generation of traditions, self-awareness, cultural values, language and religious characteristics.
- In the course of their existence, all ethnic groups undergo a number of processes within themselves - assimilation, consolidation, etc.
- In order to strengthen their existence, most ethnic groups strive to create their own state, which allows them to regulate relations both within themselves and with other groups of peoples.
The laws of peoples can be considered behavioral models of relationships, which are typical for individual representatives. This also includes behavioral models that characterize individual social groups, emerging within the nation.
Ethnicity can simultaneously be considered as a natural-territorial and sociocultural phenomenon. Some researchers propose to consider the hereditary factor and endogamy as a kind of connecting link that supports the existence of a particular ethnic group. However, it cannot be denied that the quality of a nation’s gene pool is significantly influenced by conquests, living standards, and historical and cultural traditions.
Hereditary factor tracked primarily in anthropometric and phenotypic data. However, anthropometric indicators do not always completely coincide with ethnicity. According to another group of researchers, the constancy of an ethnic group is due to national identity. However, such self-awareness can simultaneously act as an indicator collective activity.
The unique self-awareness and perception of the world of a particular ethnic group may directly depend on what its activities in developing environment. The same type of activity can be perceived and evaluated differently in the minds of different ethnic groups.
The most stable mechanism that allows preserving the uniqueness, integrity and stability of an ethnic group is its culture and common historical fate.
Ethnicity and its types
Traditionally, ethnicity is considered primarily as a generic concept. Based on this idea, it is customary to distinguish three types of ethnic groups:
- Clan-tribe (species characteristic of primitive society).
- Nationality ( characteristic type in the slave and feudal centuries).
- Capitalist society is characterized by the concept of nation.
There are basic factors that unite representatives of one people:
Clans and tribes historically were the very first types of ethnic groups. Their existence lasted several tens of thousands of years. As lifestyle and the structure of humanity developed and became more complex, the concept of nationality appeared. Their appearance is associated with the formation tribal unions in the common area of residence.
Factors in the development of nations
Today in the world there are several thousand ethnic groups. They all differ in level of development, mentality, numbers, culture and language. There may be significant differences based on race and physical appearance.
For example, the number of ethnic groups such as Chinese, Russians, and Brazilians exceeds 100 million people. Along with such gigantic peoples, there are varieties in the world whose number does not always reach ten people. State of the art different groups can also vary from the most highly developed to those living according to primitive communal principles. For every nation it is inherent own language
However, there are also ethnic groups that simultaneously use several languages.
In the process of interethnic interactions, processes of assimilation and consolidation are launched, as a result of which a new ethnic group can gradually form. The socialization of an ethnic group occurs thanks to the development of such social institutions like family, religion, school, etc.
The unfavorable factors for the development of a nation include the following:
- High level mortality among the population, especially in childhood.
- High prevalence of respiratory infections.
- Alcohol and drug addiction.
- Destruction of the family institution - high number single-parent families, divorces, abortions, parental abandonment of children.
- Low quality life.
- High unemployment rate.
- High crime rate.
- Social passivity of the population.
Classification and examples of ethnicity
Classification is carried out according to a variety of parameters, the simplest of which is number. This indicator not only characterizes the state of the ethnic group in this moment, but also reflects his character historical development. Usually, formation of large and small ethnic groups flows completely in different ways. The level and nature of interethnic interactions depends on the size of a particular ethnic group.
Examples of the largest ethnic groups include the following (according to data from 1993):
The total number of these peoples is 40% of total number the entire population of the globe. There is also a group of ethnic groups with a population of 1 to 5 million people. They make up about 8% of the total population.
Most small ethnic groups may number several hundred people. As an example, we can cite the Yukaghir, an ethnic group living in Yakutia, and the Izhorians, a Finnish ethnic group inhabiting territories in Leningrad region.
Another classification criterion is the population dynamics in ethnic groups. Minimal population growth is observed in Western European ethnic groups. The maximum growth is observed in the countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America.
