Mongoloid (race)

Not to be confused with Mongols.

Map of human races (Meyers Konversations-Lexikon, 1885–1890)

Caucasoid:   Aryans   Semitic   Hamitic Negroid:   African Negro   Khoikhoi   Melanesian   Negrito   Australoid Uncertain:   Dravida & Sinhalese

Mongoloid:   North Mongol   Chinese & Indochinese   Korean & Japanese   Tibetan & Burmese   Malay   Polynesian   Maori   Micronesian   Eskimo & Inuit   American

Mongoloid was a word for a person from East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Arctic, the Americas or the Pacific Islands. The group of these persons was called Mongoloid race. In former times, many people divided human beings into three races. These races were called Mongoloid, Caucasoid, and Negroid. Today, scientists agree that there is only one human race. Modern genetic research has shown that the idea of three races was wrong.

German anthropologists invented the name Mongolian race in the 18th century. Later, the name changed to Mongoloid. This means "looking like a Mongol".

The word "mongoloid" was once also used to mean a person with Down syndrome. This was an offensive term (an insult) because people said it was like "Mongolian idiocy" or "Mongolian imbecility". Down syndrome has nothing to do with the Mongoloid race: it is a genetic condition found in all types of humans.