Hi there! Are you ready for a new quiz? We have a question for you. Do you have trouble with telling Asian celebrities apart? Some people believe that Asians all look the same, but it’s not true! There are so many Asian nations, and there are distinct differences between many of them. Take the quiz and find out how good you are at telling Asian people apart!
Asia is a vast continent, with many different nationalities, ethnic, and cultural groups. The term “Asian” might make you think about a very specific race category, but it could mean anyone from Japanese or Hindu to Javanese, Vietnamese, or Thailander.
Central Asia is a subregion of Asia spanning from the Caspian Sea in the west to China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It consists of five former soviet republics (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) and parts of Russia.
The people in this region tend to share a common ancestry, either Indo-Iranian or Turkic. They also speak languages belonging to the Turkic family. The Uzbeks are the largest ethnic group in the area. Sometimes Mongolia and Xinjiang are considered a part of Central Asia because of their cultural ties to Central Asian traditions.
The main religions of Central Asia are Islam and Buddhism. There is also a meaningful representation of Russian Orthodox followers.
West Asia, also called Southwest Asia, is almost entirely a part of the Middle East. It includes Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian Highlands, the Levant, the island of Cyprus, the Sinai Peninsula, and partly the Caucasus Region. Out of 21 countries in the region, 13 are Arabic. However, there are also many Kurds, Jews, and Turks. The nations with the highest population in West Asia are Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.
West Asia is largely Muslim due to its cultural makeup, but there are also many Christians and Jews in the region.
South Asia geographically is defined largely by the Indian Ocean on the south, and the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Pamir mountains on the north. The region consists of the nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. Sometimes Afghanistan is considered a part of South Asia too. Indians are the most populous ethnic group in the area, with Dravidians (for example, the Tamils) and Iranic people following suit.
The majority of the Indian people are Hindu. Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism are spread throughout the region. Islam and Christianity are also represented. Islam is the second largest religion after Hinduism, with Muslim countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh.
South East Asia consists of the south-easternmost tip of the Asian mainland and a group of islands in the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia. It can be often separated into two parts: Mainland Southeast Asia and Maritime Southeast Asia. The first one includes Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The second one comprises Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, East Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.
South East Asia is home to many different ethnicities. For example, the Javanese are the largest ethnic group in Indonesia, but there are many others, including the Sundanese, Batak, Madurese, Betawi, Minangkabau, Buginese, and Malay people.
East Asia includes Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, and South Korea. The largest ethnic group in the region is the Han Chinese, with two other major ethnicities being the Yamato people and the Korean people. Other ethnic groups of East Asia are the Bai, Hui, Tibetans, Turkic, Manchus, Ryukyuan, Ainu, Zhuang, Mongols, and other Mongolic peoples.
The three primary East Asian language families are Sinitic, Japonic, and Koreanic. Tibeto-Burman, Ainu languages, Mongolic, Tungusic, Turkic, Miao-Yao, Tai-Kadai, Austronesian, and Mon-Khmer are other language families.
Buddhism, Taoism, and Shintoism (in Japan) are the main religions in the region. China and North Korea are officially atheists, with no religion practiced openly.
Have you ever wondered why some Icelanders look “Asian”? Some people claim that the residents of Iceland have facial features similar to people from Asia. Scientific research suggests that some Icelandic people share a part of their DNA with an ancient Asian group called Denisovans.
Denisovans were a species of archaic human who resided in Asia during the Lower and Middle Paleolithic. The typical belief is that they had distinct physical characteristics – including facial features – commonly associated with Asian populations.
However, it’s worth noting that Denisovan’s DNA was less than 0,1%. We still have way more questions than answers, for example, how did the Denisovans find their way to Iceland?
The link to ancient Asian people is not the only reason some Icelandic residents have typical Asian features. In the last few centuries, many Asians have moved to Iceland, settled, and started their lives here. Furthermore, some Inuit people, who have lived in the world’s Arctic regions for centuries, live in Iceland and have physical characteristics that many people equate with ethnic Asians.
Are you ready to test yourself? Take a look at the pictures and identify these Asian people. Good luck and have fun! Don’t forget to share the quiz with your friends, too.
