Why do whites call themselves Caucasians?

Question

I've heard of Africa, Asia, even Europe. But Caucasia? Where is that?!

Answer 1

White: a member of the Caucasoid race
of or relating to the geographical region of Caucasia; "Caucasian languages"
a number of languages spoken in the Caucasus that have no known affiliations to languages spoken elsewhere
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

a term once used to describe an appearance including light skin and straight light to brown hair; that is, generally meaning of European descent. (See RACE; RACISM). (SG2) CAUSATION: An interaction which produces or brings something about, pertaining to the cause and effect relation. Causes have consequences; affects have effects; act-contact-impact over time. Causation implies a pre-impact necessary connection and constant conjunction . ...
www.biol.tsukuba.ac.jp/~macer/biodict.htm

A generic name describing boldly colored geometric designs originating from the Caucasus Mountains in Southern Russia.
www.capelrugs.com/gallery/glossary.html

The Caucasus Mountains are a mountain system in Eurasia between the Black and the Caspian sea in the Caucasus region.

The Caucasus Mountains are made up of two separate mountain systems:

* the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range and
* the Lesser Caucasus Mountains.

The Greater Caucasus Range extends from the Caucasian Natural Reserve in the vicinity of Sochi on the northeastern shore of the Black Sea, generally trending east-southeast and reaching nearly to Baku on the Caspian Sea, while the Lesser Caucasus runs parallel to the greater range, at a distance averaging about 100 km (60 mi) south. The borders of Georgia, Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Iran run through the range, although its crest does not usually define the border. Meskheti Range is a part of the Lesser Caucasus system. The Greater and Lesser Caucasus ranges are connected by the Likhi Range, which separates the Kolkhida Lowland from the Kura Depression (Kura Lowland). In the South-East are the Talysh Mountains. The Lesser Caucasus and the Armenian Highland constitute the Transcaucasian Highland. The highest peak in the Caucasus range is Mount Elbrus in the Greater Caucasus, which rises to a height of 18,506 feet (5,642 meters) above sea level.

...So there is a place called Caucasus in Eastern Europe or Eurasian regions. Now you know. Take care and keep asking question!

Answer 2

The term Caucasian race is sometimes used to refer to people whose ancestry can be traced back to Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Russia, and in certain areas of the Horn of Africa and Central Asia.

In Europe (especially in Russia and the surrounding area), Caucasian usually refers exclusively to people who are from the Caucasus region or speak the Caucasian languages.



Caucasian is a geographical term, meaning relative or pertaining to the Caucasus region (Caucasia) of central Eurasia.

The term Caucasian originated as one of the racial categories recognised by 19th century craniology — and is derived from the region of the Caucasus mountains, where the Biblical figure Japheth, ancestor of Europeans, is imagined to have established his tribe prior to its migration into Europe.

Hope this helps you understand that just like African Americans... Whites use there roots to determine the name of the titled "race"

Good Luck!!

Answer 3

White people started calling themselves caucasians in the 19th century when Europeans started to categorize the different 'races' between Caucasoid for white European and middle easterners, ******* for Africans and some aboriginal groups in Australia and the Pacific Islands, and Mongoloid for the Asian peoples. The term Caucasian is derived from the word Caucasoid and it refers to the Caucasus Mountains in the region of southern Russian, eastern Turkey, and Armenia. Popular belief used to be that the people of Europe and the middle east originated in this mountain region. Since then the term has just stuck and come to be known as a general 'catch all' term for peope of European origin.

Answer 4

I call myself Caucasian because I am not white. I am clearly peach. And I'm from more than just Europe, so it doesn't make sense to call myself European American, especially since my family has been here for over a century.


Though honestly, I'd rather get rid of labels like that all together. I'm American, estadounidense. That should be enough.

Answer 5

Caucasus Mountains, in Europe by Turkey. Sort of that area where Asia and Europe meet.

I don't know any white people who call themselves Caucasians.

Answer 6

There is no caucasia! Caucasian is the technical word for white skin.

Answer 7

Because whites came from caucasian region

Answer 8

Who the hell walk around calling themselves Caucasian American. final time I checked i replaced into white, confident white is a coloration, it relatively is the reason I say i'm bleach white! the only race i understand of is the human race, yet is it relatively a race? If there is that one in each of those challenge for what 'we' decide directly to call ourselves then who's the winner? I say this, you're you, i'm me. So what if my epidermis is lighter than yours. My freckles are brown; so tutor I be called a observed American? No i'm an American. in case you seem in history the 'races' are all blended. in case you or a special ancestor of yours replaced into no born in yet another us of a, then you are greater then in all probability a genuine American; u.s. is the melting pot!

Answer 9

I'm black, there is no way I can answer this question, because I don't know why white people are called Caucasian. Never cared enough to research it.
But, In response to henrick... scroll through these questions on yahoo and see who seems more obsessed with race. White people ask questions all the time about black people, most seem to have some kind of negative connotation to it. But, a black person asks and now they're obsessed with race?

Answer 10

Cau•ca•sian

Pronunciation: (kô-kā'zhun, -shun, -kazh'un, -kash'-), [key]
—adj. Also,Cau•cas•icPronunciation: (kô-kas'ik, -kaz'-). [key]
1. Anthropol.of, pertaining to, or characteristic of one of the traditional racial divisions of humankind, marked by fair to dark skin, straight to tightly curled hair, and light to very dark eyes, and originally inhabiting Europe, parts of North Africa, western Asia, and India: no longer in technical use.
2. of or pertaining to the Caucasus mountain range.
3. of or related to the non-Indo-European, non-Turkic languages of the Caucasus region.