An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a category of people who identify with each other based on similarities such as common ancestry, language, history, society, culture or nation. Ethnicity is usually an inherited status based on the society in which one lives. Wikipedia

     A race is a grouping of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into categories generally viewed as distinct by society. First used to refer to speakers of a common language and then to denote national affiliations, by the 17th century the term race began to refer to physical traits. Wikipedia

     Race and Ethnicity are different.  Ethnicity refers to cultural factors, including nationality, regional culture, ancestry, and language. Race refers to a distinct characteristic, for example the color of skin.  Here in the United States there are five categories for data on race:

  • 1) American Indian or Alaska Native.

  • 2) Asian.

  • 3) Black or African American.

  • 4) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.

  • 5) White.

     You can have more than one ethnicities but you are said to have only one race, even if it's a "mixed race."  The traditional definition of race and ethnicity is related to biological and sociological factors respectively.  Ethnic relates to large groups of people who have certain racial, cultural, religious, or other traits in common. You can have an ethnicity of German or Spanish or even Han Chinese, and this is regardless of your race.

The Ethnicity of Eurpoe

 

 

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