Ethnic groups in Europe

While the largest indigenous populations of the world are on the Americas and South Asia, some indigenous peoples exist in Europe. They live mainly in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. These other indigenous peoples come in politically dominated by European countries outside Europe.

Indigenous peoples in geographical Europe

Most indigenous peoples of Europe live within the Russian Federation. In the European part of the country, these include the seeds of the Kola Peninsula, the wasp in Karelia, the Nenets who inhabit the Nenets autonomous district of the north of the Republic of Komi. Also, some ethnic groups in southern Russia are recognized as indigenous peoples small, so the Abasinen, Schapsugen and Nagaibaken.

Within Russia, it is debatable whether the Finnish -born people of the Komi and Mari have also to be considered as indigenous, as they have their own " law " in the form of autonomous republics.

It is undisputed, however, that the seeds in the north Fennoskandinaviens and Russia are counted by their linguistic and cultural distinction on indigenous peoples.

In the Ukraine, several populations of the Crimean peninsula define as indigenous, the Crimean Tatars, the Karaim and the Krimtschaken.

In Switzerland, there was a discussion about the question of whether Switzerland should sign the ILO Convention 169 for the protection of indigenous peoples. It was about whether "travelers " would form an indigenous people. The Swiss legal means by "traveling " but a heterogeneous population, without self- ethnicity, on the one hand from Jenischen, on the other hand Manouche ( Gypsy ), each with Swiss citizenship, there is. Roma and Sinti consider their group as not indigenous, and also report the Swiss Manouches no such claim to, but probably for some years Jenische interest groups. In the political and social discourse, this position remained isolated.

Indigenous peoples outside Europe, European countries are affiliated

Politically Europe to include the east of the Urals living Indigenous Peoples of Siberia, by the Nenets, Khanty of West Siberia, to the Yupik, Chukchi and Aleutian Islands ( people ) of the Russian Far East. In fact, the Urals are no significant limit, so do not differ significantly formally to Asia belonging Nenets of the Yamal Peninsula linguistically and culturally from the west of the Urals surviving members of this ethnic group.

The indigenous inhabitants of the French Overseas Territories New Caledonia and French Guiana are politically citizens / inside the European Union.

Although the majority of Inuit inhabited Greenland enjoys a large degree of autonomy, however, is politically affiliated to Denmark, but without being part of the European Union.

National minorities in Europe

Linguistic minorities in other European countries, such as Basques, Bretons, Sorbs or Frisians differ in lifestyle and culture is not very different from the majority population, so they are not usually referred to as indigenous.

Also Sinti and Roma in Germany are recognized as a national minority under the European Convention minority, so do not fall into the category " Indigenous peoples ".