The area of ​​Eurasia is 54,759,000 square kilometers. It is home to about five billion people. No other continent in the world can boast of such indicators. What peoples represent the continent? How are they settled? Let's find out what are the features of the composition of the population of Eurasia.

The largest continent in the world

Without a doubt, Eurasia occupies the largest place on the map. It includes two parts of the world and is washed by four oceans. The area of ​​Eurasia covers 36% of the entire land mass of the Earth. Most of it is located within the Northern, Eastern and Western hemispheres. In the Southern Hemisphere there are only a few islands belonging to the mainland.

The first human settlements on the mainland appeared about 800 thousand years ago. Now the population of Eurasia is 70% of the world's population. Representatives of all three main races live on the mainland, which are divided into thousands of ethnic groups.

The continent became the birthplace of many ancient civilizations that gave the world a huge number of inventions, scientific discoveries and arts. Here once arose: the Kingdom of Sumer, Ancient China and India, the Hittite kingdom, Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. In addition, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Confucianism and Christianity originated in Eurasia.

Density and nature of population distribution

The population of Eurasia is unevenly distributed. Its location on the mainland is mainly determined by geographical factors. The most populated areas are areas with a mild climate and fertile soils.

The continent is as close as possible to the Arctic Circle, so its significant regions are of little use for life and farming. So, in the northern part of the mainland, the population density is low. In Iceland it is 3.1 people/km2, in Finland 16 people/km2, in Russia 8.56 people/km2.

The inner parts of the mainland, on which there are mountains and deserts, are also sparsely populated. Some of them are practically deserted, for example, the Gobi desert and Tibet. Just there is the state with the lowest density in Eurasia - Mongolia (2 people / km 2).

The most favorable conditions are Western, Southern and Central Europe, southern and southeastern regions of Asia. Here, the highest density rates belong to Singapore (7389 people / km 2) and Monaco (18 679 people / km 2).

Racial composition

The population of Eurasia is represented by Caucasoid, Mongoloid and Negroid races. Caucasoids are settled in the European part of the continent, on the Hindustan Peninsula and Southeast Asia. Representatives of the southern branch are characterized by dark shades of hair and eyes, while the northern branch, on the contrary, has light eyes, hair and skin. Typical representatives of the northern branch are residents of the Nordic countries.

Mongoloids inhabit mainly Asia. They live in its northern, eastern and central regions. They have a slightly flattened face, dark or fair skin, and dark hair and eyes. The crease of the upper eyelids is enlarged, making them appear to be narrower than in other races.

The Negroid race is not very characteristic of Eurasia. Most of its representatives live in Hindustan and Sri Lanka. On the territory of Abkhazia there are representatives of the racial-ethnic group of Caucasian blacks. All Negroids have dark skin and eyes, dark curly hair. The lips are wide, the nose is wide and slightly flattened, and the limbs are elongated.

Ethnolinguistic composition

The national composition of the population of Eurasia is incredibly diverse. More than a thousand peoples live in Asia alone. The most numerous ethnic groups around the world include the Chinese, Bengalis, Japanese and Hindustanis living in the east and southeast of the continent. In Europe, the largest number (more than 30 million) are Russians, Germans, French, Italians, Ukrainians, Poles and Spaniards.

Peoples are also divided by belonging to language families and groups. There are also a huge number of them. Asia is dominated by representatives of the Sino-Tibetan family (1.2 billion speakers), which includes Tibetan, Chinese and Burmese.

The first place in the world in terms of the number of speakers (2.5 billion) belongs to the Indo-European family. It includes Slavic, Germanic, Romance, Indo-Iranian, Greek, Italic and other languages. Their carriers are common in both European and Asian parts of the world.

Country

There are about 100 states in Eurasia. They contrast strongly in size, standard of living and economic development. On the mainland are both the largest and smallest countries in the world.

The largest country in Eurasia in terms of population is China (1.33 billion). In second place after him is India (1.17 billion). Thus, a third of the world's inhabitants live in these two countries. The largest state of Eurasia in terms of area is Russia (17,125,191 km 2). It is twice the size of mainland Australia.

The smallest world state in terms of area and population is the Vatican (0.44 km 2 and 842 inhabitants). It is located right in the center of Rome. Together with Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Malta, Singapore and others, it belongs to the dwarf states.

Most of the countries of the continent are characterized by a republican form of government. A little more than ten states are monarchies (Great Britain, Denmark, Spain, Liechtenstein, Andorra, etc.). Sometimes theocracies are singled out separately (Vatican, Brunei, Saudi Arabia).

Diversity of Eurasia

Eurasia is the largest continent in the world, which covers two parts of the world: Europe and Asia. Its population is over five billion people. It is so contrasting that it is difficult to describe it in a nutshell.

There are about a hundred countries on the continent, among which there are huge in size and number, such as Russia, China, India, and there are very tiny ones, for example, the Vatican, Malta, Monaco and Singapore. Some have a density of no more than two people per square kilometer, while others have numbers in excess of several hundred.

Billions of people and thousands of nationalities live in Eurasia. Together they make up about two-thirds of the world's population. Each of these nations is interesting and unique. They represent different races, languages, religions and traditions that make Eurasia one of the most diverse and colorful continents of our planet.

Population size and density

Eurasia, like Africa, is considered the ancestral home of man. As of the beginning of 2016, $5175 million people lived in Eurasia, including $4436 million in Asia and $739 million in Europe. In total, more than $2/3$ of the total population of the planet lives in Eurasia. Due to the heterogeneity of natural conditions, Eurasia is populated unevenly.

The most densely populated areas have a favorable climate and fertile soils. Such conditions are observed in the Mediterranean region and the lower reaches of the rivers of Asia.

The population density of Eurasia is on average $95 per square kilometer. Most of the world's most populated areas are located in Eurasia. These are, first of all, the Indo-Gangetic lowland, where about $1 billion people live with a population density of $1,000 \person/km^2$, as well as the Great Plain of China, the Sichuan River Basin, the island of Java, and the Tokaido region in Japan.

Among the countries the most densely populated are Macao (China) - $21\352 \person/km^2$, Monaco - $19010 \person/km^2$ and Singapore - $7697 \person/km^2$. Population density increases dramatically in cities. The most populated cities of Eurasia are Shanghai (China) - $24.2 million people, Karachi (Pakistan) - $23.5 million people, Mumbai (India) - $22.0 million people, Beijing (China) - $21.5 million million people, Delhi (India) - $18.6 million people.

At the same time, there are very sparsely populated territories in Eurasia. These are highland and desert regions such as Tibet, the Gobi and the interior of the Arabian Peninsula. Among the entire states, this is Mongolia, where $2 \ people / km ^ 2$ lives, or Iceland with a population density of just over $ 3 \ people / km ^ 2 $. Less than $1\person/km^2$ lives in some dependent territories of European states.

Racial and ethnic composition

Eurasia is inhabited by representatives of different races and ethnic groups. Representatives of Caucasoid and Mongoloid predominate among the races, with representatives of the first living in Europe, Southwest and South Asia, and the second in East and Central Asia. Representatives of the Negroid race live on the island of Sri Lanka and the south of the Hindustan peninsula.

Eurasia is also multi-ethnic, representatives of different peoples live here. Language groups and families are formed according to linguistic features.

The population of Europe belongs mainly to the Indo-European language family, which includes the Germanic, Romance and Slavic language groups. Asia is predominantly populated by representatives of the Sino-Tibetan language family, which consists of Chinese and Tibeto-Burmese groups.

Remark 1

The largest peoples of the region are the Chinese, Hindustanis, Bengalis, Biharis, and Japanese. Most of the countries of Eurasia are multinational states. $150 people live in India and Indonesia, $100 people live in the Philippines, $50 people live in China and Vietnam, about $30 people live in Thailand and Iran. Relatively mono-ethnic states are an exception for Eurasia. An example is Japan, where $98.5\%$ of the population belongs to the titular nation, or Iceland, where $98.99\%$ are Icelandic. Ethnic diversity is intensified due to the division of peoples by the borders of countries. In particular, Kurds live in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria, Afghans live in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Bengalis live in India and Pakistan.

Religious composition of the population

The religious composition of the population of Eurasia is also heterogeneous. Foreign Asia (in relation to Russia) is the cradle of all world religions. Islam of various currents is professed by the population of the countries of Western and South-Western Asia. Hinduism is most widespread in India, Buddhism - in China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan, Judaism - in Israel. Most of the population of Europe professes Christianity.

The peoples of Eurasia make up almost three-quarters of the total population of the earth. A large number of different ethnic groups live on the mainland, which differ in appearance, mentality, culture and language.

Each people of Eurasia belongs to a specific language family, which, in turn, is divided into groups. The speech of each people in the family is similar and comes from one common parent language. Languages ​​that are in the same group sometimes differ only in pronunciation or spelling.

Most languages ​​were formed territorially. This explains the fact that different peoples of Eurasia have almost the same or similar speech. There is a hypothesis that ancient people developed their speech by listening to the sounds of the wildlife of the area, and therefore some languages ​​​​are very similar to the sounds that animals make.

Classification of the languages ​​of the peoples of Eurasia

To date, 7 language families have been recorded, which unite all the languages ​​\u200b\u200band dialects of the peoples living on the mainland. Each of these families is divided into language groups of the peoples of Eurasia. There are 17 of them.

All languages ​​are divided into:

1. Indo-European family:

• Slavic group (Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Polish, Czech and Bulgarian);
• German group (English, German, Norwegian and Swedish);
• Baltic group (Lithuanian and Latvian);
• Romance group (Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian);
• Celtic group (Irish);
• Greek group (Greek);
• Iranian group (Tajik, Afghan and Ossetian);
• Indo-Aryan group (Hindustani and Nepalese);
• Armenian group (Armenian);

2. Kartvelian family (Georgian).

3. Afroasian family:

• Semitic group (Arabic);

4. Ural-Yukogir family:

• Finno-Ugric group (Hungarian, Estonian and Finnish);

5. Altai family:

• Turkic group (Turkish, Kazakh and Kyrgyz);
• Mongolian group (Mongolian and Buryat);
• Japanese group (Japanese);
• Korean group (Korean);

6. Sino-Tibetan family (Chinese);

7. North Caucasian family:

• Abkhaz-Adyghe group (Abkhaz and Adyghe);
• Nakh-Dagestan group (Chechen).

How did the languages ​​of the peoples of Eurasia develop?

On the mainland of Eurasia, the most ancient civilizations were created and developed: India, China and Mesopotamia. They gave development to all other peoples, their states, culture, traditions and speech.

It did not stop, but people settled, developing new lands, inventing new words and expressions. This is how language groups appeared, and then families. Each people of Eurasia developed the already existing speech in its own way. People living in different places began to call the same things by different names. This is how dialects appeared, which then turned into full-fledged ones. Linguists divided all languages ​​into families and groups for easier study.

Indo-European language family

The largest language family in the world is the Indo-European family. These languages ​​are spoken by many peoples of Eurasia.

This language family owes such popularity to the conquerors and discoverers. Indo-European languages ​​were born in Eurasia, and it is considered the birthplace of all mankind along with Africa. People developed new territories and captured the indigenous peoples of other continents, then imposed their culture and language on them. Each people of Eurasia at that time tried to subjugate more territories and people. Many scientists associate such a wide spread of the Spanish, English and Russian languages ​​precisely with historical events.

What is the difference between Chinese and Japanese languages?

A common mistake many people make is to think that Chinese and Japanese are similar or almost the same. These two languages ​​are not just in different language families. People living in Japan and China are completely different, although they belong to the same race. Each of these countries is a separate people of Eurasia, having its own culture and language.

If the hieroglyphs themselves, which are written in these countries, are difficult enough to distinguish, this does not mean that the languages ​​are the same. Their first difference is that the Japanese write vertically, while the Chinese write horizontally.

Japanese speech is much rougher than Chinese. The Chinese language is filled with soft sounds. Japanese speech is harsher. A deeper study will show that the words in these languages ​​are different, as well as grammar and other rules.

Slavic languages

Slavic languages ​​are a language group of the Indo-European family. These languages ​​are very similar. Speakers of Slavic languages ​​can often understand each other almost without difficulty, while speaking in different languages. This is especially true for Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian speech.

They began to develop with the advent of the first Slavic tribes. Each tribe used its own dialect. The greater the distance between them, the more differences appeared in speech.

All Slavic languages ​​are divided into Eastern, Western and Southern. This division occurs territorially, as well as the division of tribes.

Of the other representatives of the Indo-European language family, the closest to the Slavic is the Baltic group. Many scientists explain this by long communication between representatives of these tribes.

Peoples living on the continent

In fact, there are a lot of peoples living on the mainland, but if you generalize, then they can be conditionally divided by race into 2 groups: Caucasoid and Mongoloid. And these groups, in turn, divided into subgroups.

Caucasian race, consisting of the following groups:

• Slavic;
• Baltic;
• Germanic;
• Greek;
• Armenian;
• Finno-Ugric.

Mongoloid race:

• Turkic;
• Mongolian;
• Korean;
• Japanese;
• Chukchi-Kamchatka;
• Sino-Tibetan.

Of course, many more ethnic groups and tribes live on the territory of Eurasia.

Peoples of Eurasia: countries

Perhaps, within the framework of a single article, it is impossible to list all the countries of the continent, because there are about 99 of them! But it is worth mentioning the largest of them. Probably everyone knows that Russia is the largest state on the mainland. Not to mention India and China, the countries with the highest population density.

As for the smallest states, they are mainly located in the western territories of the mainland. For example, the Vatican is considered a unique state entity. The list of dwarf countries includes Liechtenstein, Andorra, Luxembourg and Monaco. The smallest countries in Asia are Brunei, Maldives and Bahrain.

Eurasia is considered the most colorful continent on the planet, of course! Its territory is occupied by 3/4 of the world's population with different skin colors, their own culture and traditions.

Africa and Eurasia are territories that are considered the ancestral home of man. If we take into account the data of 2016, then about 5175 million people lived in this part of the world, 739 million of them - the population of Europe, and 4436 million - Asia. In general, 2/3 of the world's population is located on this mainland. Since the natural conditions of Eurasia are uneven, the population is also distributed unevenly.

Most people live on those lands where fertile soils and comfortable climatic conditions are located. Such territories include the lower reaches of Asian rivers and the Mediterranean.

The density of Eurasia is 95 people per 1 sq. km. The most populated areas of the world are located here. For example, the Indo-Gangetic lowland is characterized by a population density of 1,000 people per square kilometer. More than one billion people live here. Such densely populated objects include: the island of Java, the Sichuan basin, the Great Plain of China and the Japanese region of Tokaido.

The most populous countries: Macau - 21,352 people per sq. km, Monaco - 19,010 people per sq. km, Singapore - 7697 people per sq. km. The cities of Eurasia are characterized by a rapid increase in population density. The population of mainland countries: Shanghai - 24,200,000 people, Karachi - 23,500,000 people, Mumbai - 22,000,000 people, Beijing - 21,500,000 people and Delhi 18,600,000 people.

In this part of the planet there are also territories that are characterized by low density and population. These lands include desert and high-mountain regions: the Gobi, Tibet, the Arabian Peninsula. Mongolia should also be noted, because in such a state the population density is only 2 people per sq km. In Iceland - 3 people per 1 sq. km. There are also countries on the Eurasian continent, which are characterized by a population density of only one person per 1 sq. km.

Racial and ethnic composition

The population of the mainland is diverse, there are many different ethnic groups and races. Most of all representatives of the Mongoloid and Caucasoid races. The second live in South, South-West Asia, Europe, and the first - in Central, East Asia. There is also a population of the Negroid race, which is located in the southern part of the Hindustan peninsula and in Sri Lanka.

It should also be said about the multi-ethnicity of Eurasia. Completely diverse peoples live on the territory of the mainland, which form their own language groups, families.

The European population almost entirely belongs to the Indo-European language family, which includes the Slavic, Germanic and Romance groups. If we talk about Asia, then people form the Sino-Tibetan language family, which consists of the Tibeto-Burmese and Chinese groups.

The largest peoples of Eurasia are the Chinese, Bengalis, Japanese, Hindustanis, Biharis. Almost all states of the mainland are multinational. Indonesia and India include about 150 peoples, the Philippines - 100, Vietnam and China - 50, Iran and Thailand - 30 peoples. Mono-ethnic countries are practically an exception for this part of the planet. Japan can be included here, because it consists of 98.5% of the titular nation, and Iceland - 98.99%. The diversity of ethnic groups increases along with the division of peoples along the borders of states. For example, the Kurds are located in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Iran. Afghans live in Pakistan and Afghanistan, while Bengalis live in Pakistan and India.

Religious composition of the population

Heterogeneity is a characteristic feature of the religious composition of Eurasia. For example, almost all world religions are practiced in Foreign Asia. Islam is leading in Western and Southwestern Asia. Hinduism is also common - India, Buddhism - Mongolia, China, Japan, Korea, Judaism - Israel. The European population professes Christianity.

Eurasia is the most populated continent, its population is three-quarters of the population of the entire planet. Along with Africa, Eurasia is considered the ancestral home of mankind. The most ancient civilizations that existed on the territory of this continent played a significant role in the development of mankind.

The racial and ethnic composition of the population of Eurasia is very complex, which is associated with centuries-old processes of migration of peoples as a result of aggressive campaigns, internecine wars, natural disasters, displacement of national minorities, etc.

The linguistic composition of the population is quite diverse. Slavic peoples live in Eastern Europe and North Asia, and peoples who speak the languages ​​of the Germanic and Romance groups live in Northern, Western and Southern Europe. In Asia, many peoples speak the languages ​​of the Altaic language group, Indian and Sino-Tibetan languages. The peoples of Southwest Asia communicate in Arabic and languages ​​belonging to the group of Indonesian languages. The peoples who speak isolated languages ​​include the Japanese, Basques, Armenians, Koreans, and others. The distribution of the population on the continent is extremely uneven.

The political map of the mainland began to take shape a very long time ago. In ancient times, there were states of Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, China, India, etc. Modern peoples live within many countries, of which there are more than 70. Countries that are large in area and population are distinguished (Russia, China, India, Indonesia, etc.). ) and very small, dwarf states (Vatican, San Marino, Singapore, etc.). The level of economic development of the country is also heterogeneous. The most developed include Japan, Germany, France, Great Britain and Italy. A large group of countries are developing countries, located mainly in Asia. The political map of the mainland continues to change. In Southern Europe, 5 states separated from the former Yugoslavia, and more than 10 countries formed on the territories of the former USSR.

The countries of Eurasia differ in the peoples inhabiting them, natural conditions, and the level of economic development. Foreign European countries. The nature of this part of the continent is very diverse, and the life of people in countries is also different. Northern European countries. Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland have a coastal geographical position. The nature of these countries is greatly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and its seas.

The Scandinavian mountains and the plains adjacent to them are composed of ancient crystalline rocks, their bowels are rich in ore minerals. The rivers flowing from the mountains are rich in energy. The abundance of lakes and forests is a characteristic feature of the nature of Sweden and Finland. Iceland is located in the subarctic zone, but nature "gave" her a lot of warm water in the form of geysers, and the inhabitants of the island learned to use it to heat their homes. The peoples inhabiting the countries of Northern Europe speak the languages ​​of the Germanic language group, and the language of the Finns is close to Estonian, the language of the Karelians. The population of these countries is employed in industry (oil is extracted on the shelf, metal ores, ships are standing, paper is produced, etc.), in agriculture (cattle are bred), they are engaged in fishing, and in the transportation of sea cargo.

Western European countries. The most developed countries of the world – France, Germany, Great Britain – are located in this part of the region. In terms of Europe, these are large countries; in terms of area, they are inferior to Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Eastern European countries. This group of countries spans from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black and Adriatic Seas in the south, east of Germany and Austria. Within this territory are Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, a number of countries of the Balkan Peninsula, as well as countries that separated from the USSR: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova. The nature of countries has both similarities and differences. The northern part of the region is dominated by low-lying plains, while the southern part is dominated by mountains. Some countries are rich in certain types of mineral resources (Poland, Hungary, Romania, etc.), while others are poor (Lithuania, Latvia, etc.).

Southern European countries. They are located on large peninsulas washed by the Mediterranean Sea. The largest states here are Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece. There is much in common in the nature, populations and economy of these countries. The most developed of these countries is Italy. It is relatively poor in minerals, but its people have created a developed modern economy. Most of the population works at plants and factories, produces a variety of machines, chemical products, modern ships are standing. Agriculture is also well developed; wheat, rice, vegetables and fruits are grown. No wonder the country is called the "main garden" of Europe. Ancient cultural monuments and beautiful resorts attract tourists and vacationers here.

Countries of foreign Asia. This vast region is very diverse in nature and population. There are very large and very small countries.

Countries of Southwest Asia. The largest countries in this part of Asia are Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia. There are many small countries: Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Kuwait, etc. Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are also included here now.

In the relief of the countries of Southwest Asia, highlands, mountains and plateaus predominate, there are few lowlands. Mountain building is still going on, earthquakes are frequent. Oil reserves are concentrated in foothill troughs and on the platform. Subtropical and dry tropical climate prevails. There is little precipitation, with the exception of the western part of Georgia. There is little surface water. The largest rivers are the Tigris and the Euphrates. Among the natural zones dominated by zones of semi-deserts and deserts, dry steppes, forests are very, very few.

The national composition of the population of the Near (or Middle) East, as this territory is also called, is diverse. Arabs, Jews, Turks, Persians, Georgians, Armenians and other peoples live here. The region under consideration is the place of origin of all three world religions. Most of the population lives in rural areas, in river valleys and in oases. Some countries are the largest suppliers of oil to the world market. It is transported through oil pipelines to port cities, from where it is transported in tankers to various countries.

Central Asian countries. This large region of the mainland is distinguished by the uniformity of nature, dryness, sharp continental climate, the predominance of dry steppes, semi-deserts and deserts. Plains and basins alternate here with mountains and highlands, isolating the territory from moist winds from the oceans. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and most of China are located in this part of Eurasia. East Asian countries. This part of the mainland is located along the coast of the Pacific Ocean and stretches from north to south - from the temperate zone to the tropical zone. The most populated part of China, Japan, North Korea and the Republic of Korea are located here. The nature of these countries is diverse, plains predominate, but there are also mountainous areas.

Japan has many volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. The monsoon climate is generally favorable for the development of agriculture. All convenient lands are cultivated, the main crop is rice. Japan is one of the most economically developed countries in the world. The nature of the country is very picturesque, but poor in mineral resources. The country imports a lot of raw materials, produces the most modern equipment, electronics, cars, ships, chemical products, electronics. Two-thirds of the country is covered with forest. The Japanese are very careful about nature. In the life of the population, the role of the seas washing the country is great.

China is a huge country, its nature is unusually diverse, it is a multinational state (more than 50 peoples). Most of the population lives in rural areas, but rapidly developing industry increases the share of the urban population. South Asian countries. Among the countries of this part of the continent, the largest is India, and the smallest is the kingdom of Bhutan in the Himalayas.

India is located in the center of South Asia. Large natural complexes stand out: the Himalayas, the Indo-Gangetic lowland and the Deccan plains on the Hindustan peninsula. The country is rich in mineral resources. Almost the entire territory is located in the subequatorial climatic zone. The summer monsoon from the ocean brings a lot of moisture. India is mainly an agricultural country, but in recent decades, industry has been developing successfully.

Rice, wheat, cotton, sugar cane, tea bush are grown, metal, various machines and equipment, medicines, fabrics are produced in factories and factories.

The countries of Southeast Asia are located on the Indochina Peninsula and the islands that make up the Malay Archipelago. The largest countries by area: Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines. In the Strait of Malacca on the island is the smallest country in this region - Singapore. Indonesia is distinguished by area and population.