Overview
ethnic group
Quick Reference
A community or group of people with distinctive social, cultural, and behavioral characteristics that distinguish them from others in the same or different country or society. Members of an ethnic group share the same language, have similar ways of life and a common history, preserve traditions and customs from one generation to the next, identify themselves as members of that ethnic group, and often have a common genetic heritage. In countries where the population includes high proportions of immigrants from earlier generations, members of an ethnic group are sometimes identified by a hyphenated name (Armenian-Americans, Ukrainian-Canadians, Italian-Australians, etc). Ethnic groups sometimes display epidemiological patterns of disease that differ from prevailing patterns of others in the same country, which may relate to their genetic heritage, lifestyle, dietary factors, or a combination of these.
Subjects: History — Regional and National History
