SSC / Railway / UPSC / BPSC — World Geography Mind Map Series
Obsolete classification used in older textbooks for peoples of Europe, West Asia and North Africa; not a valid biological race.
Obsolete classification used in older texts for East/Central Asian and some Indigenous American peoples; not a valid biological race.
Obsolete classification used in older texts for sub-Saharan African peoples; not a valid biological race. Do not extend this label to Oceania.
| People / group | Region |
|---|---|
| Inuit | Greenland and Arctic Canada. |
| Sámi | Northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia's Kola Peninsula. |
| Sakha (Yakut), Yukaghir and Chukchi | northern and northeastern Siberia. |
| Cree | Canada, especially a broad belt from the Subarctic to the Plains. |
| Kyrgyz | Central Asia, especially Kyrgyzstan. |
| Maasai | Kenya and northern Tanzania in East Africa. |
| Sioux peoples (Lakota, Dakota, Nakota) | the Great Plains of North America. |
| Bedouin / Ruwallah | Arabian and Syrian desert regions. |
| San peoples | the Kalahari region of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. |
| Gauchos (pastoral cultural tradition) | the Pampas of Argentina and Uruguay, with related traditions in southern Brazil. |
| Central African rainforest peoples, e.g. Mbuti / Aka | the Congo Basin and neighboring Central African rainforests. |
| Bora people | the Amazon region of Peru and Colombia, especially the Putumayo-Ampiyacu area. |
| Semang / related Maniq groups | the Malay Peninsula, especially Malaysia and southern Thailand. |
| Amazigh (Berber) peoples | North Africa. |
| Bantu-speaking peoples | much of Central, Eastern and Southern Africa. |
| Tuareg | the central and western Sahara and adjoining Sahel. |
| Zulu | South Africa, especially KwaZulu-Natal. |
| Nuba peoples | the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. |
| Māori | Aotearoa New Zealand. |
| Orang Rimba | Sumatra, Indonesia, especially Jambi and South Sumatra. |
| Dwelling | Details |
|---|---|
| Yurt | Portable round trellis-frame dwelling, traditionally felt-covered; Central/Inner Asian steppes. |
| Kraal | Southern African livestock enclosure; historically also an enclosed homestead or settlement. |
| Igloo | Shelter of compacted snow blocks, traditionally used by some Inuit in Arctic Canada and Greenland. |
| Aul (aoul) | Village or settlement, sometimes historically fortified; Caucasus and parts of Central Asia. |
| Rank | Language | Total speakers (L1 + L2) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | 1.528 billion |
| 2 | Mandarin Chinese | 1.184 billion |
| 3 | Hindi | 609 million (~60.9 crore) |
| 4 | Spanish | 558 million (~55.8 crore) |
| 5 | Modern Standard Arabic | 335 million (~33.5 crore) |
| 6 | French | 312 million (~31.2 crore) |
| 7 | Bengali | 284 million (~28.4 crore) |
| 8 | Portuguese | 267 million (~26.7 crore) |
| 9 | Russian | 253 million (~25.3 crore) |
| 10 | Indonesian | 252 million (~25.2 crore) |
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Obsolete historical labels | “Caucasoid”, “Mongoloid”, “Negroid” — not valid discrete biological races |
| Inuit — where? | Greenland and Arctic Canada |
| Mbuti / Aka — where? | Congo Basin and neighboring Central African rainforests |
| Maasai — where? | Kenya and northern Tanzania |
| San peoples — where? | Kalahari region of southern Africa |
| Gauchos — where? | Pampas of Argentina / Uruguay; related traditions in southern Brazil |
| Maori – where? | New Zealand |
| Igloo – who lives? | Snow shelters traditionally used by some Inuit; not all Inuit dwellings |
| Yurt – who lives? | Central/Inner Asian pastoral nomads; felt-covered portable round dwellings |
| Most total speakers (OP 2025) | English — about 1.528 billion |
| Most native / L1 speakers (OP 2025) | Mandarin Chinese — about 990 million |